Fire & Gold
by Craxuan
Summary: Yang Xiao Long, wild daughter of the greatest crime lord in the metropolis Jiu Xu lived her seventeen years of life content and infinitely proud. But the arrival of a strange, red-cloaked young girl into the city marked the beginning of change, and soon Yang finds herself racing against time to stop a ghastly terror with her people, her loved ones and even own her heart at stake.
1. The Encounter

**Author's Note: This is an entry for NaNoWriMo 2013 titled 'Fire & Gold', AU Fanfiction. Originally I had planned for this to be a combination of Ruby and Yang's story, but I was unable to finish Ruby's in time and literally just (for reasons even I cannot fathom) jumped to Yang's story, which follows right after hers. Hence the reason why you might find the beginning of the story slightly off - many of the world building such as the Four Kingdoms of Remnant, Demon terminology and such are not included here. Hopefully it won't be too jarring an experience.**

**Now, about something related to this story: Originally I had wanted to involve Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie as major players, but in the end I gave up due to several reasons. First, 1 month is a _really _short time to come up with an elaborate plot and actually putting them down in words, and those two literally warranted epic schemes of their own. Second, I was having trouble trying to nail down Lie Ren's hidden nature and determine whether I can push the plot down a certain path. Third, to do it that way was to add a hell lot more words than I could write (was already sneaking them in during office work) in such a short time, with tolerable quality.**

**In the end, I opted for the safer route and expanded on Yang herself and her clan's history instead. You might find that it's not to your liking - certainly I wished that I had written the Lie Ren Rebellion story instead; it would've been more relatable - but a work done is done. Maybe I'll recreate that path in the future, although my main focus right now would be on Ruby Rose's unfinished arc.**

**And yes, this is in the same Universe as my one shot, 'Mirror, Haunt'. Blake's Arc follows after this one, and later on Weiss. It will be interesting.**

**This note is getting a bit too long for its own good, so I'll stop here. I wish you a good time reading this AU Fan Fiction of RWBY, Fire & Gold!**

* * *

The travel towards her next destination, the far metropolis of Jiu Xu, had been perilous and difficult. After analyzing the new leather map gifted by Mrs. Amberson – savior of her life and her eternal benefactor – an incredibly detailed and accurate hand-sketched layout of the north-eastern section of grand kingdom of Vytal, Ruby Rose had decided that she would make haste in a direct path towards the targeted city and estimated twenty six days of trekking, after accounting in the factor that she would avoid all major roads and settlements along the way. It had in fact taken her more than a month and a couple of sleepless nights to finally reach the city, for more than once she had been forced to scale across huge crevices and tall cliffs, when the only available bridges had guards standing by to collect road taxes. Her temporary stay at Border 26 had been riddled with special circumstances, and comfortable as it might to sleep under a roof, she was still hunted by one of the most dangerous organizations ever existed in Remnant. Best to practice stealth and discretion at all times, if she didn't want to wake up one day without her neck.

Now that she had slipped her way into the shadowy alleys of Jiu Xu, the cloaked young girl looked up to the city's cloudy afternoon sky with a frown on her face. While Ruby had been to the capital city of Vytal, Vale in the past, Jiu Xu had looked from her first impression to be just as huge, if not a tad bit rougher than what she initially expected. While the hundreds of skyscrapers that were aligned neatly along the main roads, they came in such different sizes and heights and colors that it gave off a rather oppressive and disorderly atmosphere. In fact, many of the buildings looked to be quite old or in a state of disrepair, and the worse cases had metal pipes and wires jutting out of the walls.

Numerous colorful billboards were littered all across the buildings, advertising seemingly very dubious goods and services in a mix of both Eastern and English languages. While they might look pretty at night with the light bulbs turned on, Ruby simply found them distracting and an annoyance. The red haired girl suspected that they were intentionally placed that way to prevent a good view of the top of the buildings, although there was no way to be sure. As Ruby sneaked her way into a narrow edge behind a large concrete pavement, she finally let down her crimson cloak from her head, and with a casual expression gave herself ten minutes to observe the flow of people going back and forth the very busy streets of Jiu Xu. There were construction workers drilling at a site, yellow helmets bobbing about as they yelled orders at each other; typical white collars complete with their neat suit and tie as they trod down the street; and of course there were the casual family and couples and singles, whose main purposes could only fluctuate between relaxation and shopping.

What worried Ruby however was the unusual amount of raggedly wore, nasty-looking men who hung about at nearly every corner of the streets. Obviously every city has its own underground, lawless community, and in fact Ruby was searching for exactly one such crime lord to acquire her much needed information. However, she had not expected the dark men to make such a common appearance during broad daylight. For all her travels, this was yet a new element for the fifteen year old girl. Jiu Xu was obviously different than the other cities in the sense that the lawless' grip seemed far stronger.

This was actually good news though: She could easily walk up to anyone of these people and have them guide her to the contact, and even if the persuasion failed she would've at least made herself known. On the other hand, experience and memories served to tell that things were never as simple as she would hope to be. Ruby let out a small sigh; hardly a couple of hours into the Jiu Xu and already she was regretting this trip. If Mrs. Amberson's hadn't recommended this place she would never…

_But the complains can wait, _Ruby thought quietly as she turned around to face a grinning, gauntlet-armed blonde woman striding towards her with all the casualness of a fearless lion.

_It seems that there's something I have to take care of first._

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was a beautiful young woman. She had mesmerizing eyes of violet that drew in the souls of men like magnet, and at just the age of seventeen she already has a lascivious, sexy figure that most women could never achieve in their entire life. The young woman certainly was nowhere shy enough to hide it either: She wore a thin yellow vest covered over by a short brown jacket and a matching pair of brown boots, which showed an ample amount of her bosom and a firm mid-riff. She also wore super short black pants that clung tightly to her skin, and suffice to say that every time she took to the streets, the men's gaze would automatically lock on to her greatest assets. Yang did not mind the attention one bit, for it meant high praise to her natural beauty and she was proud to be gifted with them.

The young woman's most defining feature however, was the wild golden hair that stretched long and magnificent right down to her butt. This was undeniably her proudest asset of beauty out of all others, and while naturally arrogant she may be, Yang did sincerely doubt that there existed a second person in this world whose blonde hair was half as glorious as hers. It was an unbelievable color that glistened like the sun itself, and even under the darkest night anyone who saw Yang one might mistook that her hair was burning with yellow light. The phenomenon was in fact not a trick of the eye, although Yang herself has been careful not to let her Aura show. Once in the past, when she was yet a young and naïve girl, she had accidentally lost control of her power and burned an unfortunate subordinate badly. It was not an experience that she was keen to relieve anytime soon.

The sky was grey, the clouds thundered ominously, and as if reflecting her mood today was unfortunately not a good one for Yang. As she sauntered down the streets, her black mood was apparently visible even to the common crowd, for some of them have already begun to avoid her direct path with about as much discretion as a drunken cow. Knowing her own legendary temper, Yang took a turn into the nearest alley before the annoying glances ignited a completely unnecessary emotion. The blonde girl heaved a long sigh as soon as she confirmed herself to be out of sight and completely alone – she really needed the quiet solitude.

Just a few months ago, she had stumbled upon troubling rumors that the clan's enemies were secretly combining their strength to oppose her family, and while these gossips usually turned out to be false, a few weeks of discreet investigation had indeed revealed some pretty strong evidences of wrongdoings. The perpetrator however remained a complete mystery, and further investigation after that had yielded absolutely no results. That should not have been possible; Yang could not imagine how any group – hell, any_one_ – could possibly avoid her family's information network on _their _home turf. But somehow they did it anyway, and just two weeks ago the Qing Dong Street exploded in a fiery inferno, resulting in the three deaths of her own clan men and many more injured. This _cannot_ be forgiven. Unfortunately investigations _still_ yielded no useful leads, and her own individual patrols around the city were just as futile. It was times like these that made Yang wished that _she_ was still – no, she didn't have time to dwell on the past or admit weaknesses. One way or another, she _will _stop these bombings.

_Still, I must have missed out something_, Yang thought in frustration, _but what? I need a fresh lead. I need a breakthrough. I –_

_I need a suspect like that red-haired, foreign girl whom I've never seen before in this god forsaken city. Who the hell is she? Why is she hiding in these shadows and observing our people?_

Yang felt a feral smile pulling at the corner of her lips. She would not waste this gift granted by the highest Heavens. The golden-haired woman slipped a finger across the cold metal of her shotgun gauntlets, and strode boldly towards the turning figure. One way or another, she was going to get answers, and she would have no problems at all smashing open a couple of kid's teeth if it meant safeguarding the interests of her clan.

* * *

"We both have answers that we need from each other," Ruby said quickly before the boorish-looking woman could get in her own word; she wanted control over this conversation now before it blew up into something undesirable, "Let us exchange information and be better off than without."

This got the blonde woman to stop in her tracks just five feet away from Ruby, but only just and not without a deep frown on her face. It was a distance far enough to be polite, and yet still too close that she might not be able to dodge a sudden lunge in this narrow alley. Whoever she was, Ruby judged that she was at least proficient in fighting.

"You have guts alright, I'll give you that," the gauntlet-armed fighter snarled angrily as she smashed a strong fist into her own palm, "Here's a counter offer instead: _You_ spill everything you know about your organization, your purposes, your piss-ass mastermind or whoever came up with the fucked up idea of blowing up _my _street and kill _my _men, and if I'm not too angry then maybe – just _maybe_ – I'll let you leave this place alive."

_Youch. This is not good, not good at all_. For a second there Ruby had thought panically that her supposedly secret identity had been discovered, but after listening out to the entirety of the dialogue things were hardly any better. As inept she may be with negotiating with people, the red cloaked girl knew as much that replying with an 'I don't know' now would be suicide. The young girl cursed herself as she tried to recall all the training her master had tutored her in dealing with difficult people _without_ resorting to plain old steel.

"Forgive me, but who am I talking to?" The words rolled out of Ruby's tongue about as smoothly as a rusty cog, but the young girl hoped it would give her the stall needed to cool some heads.

"_Haah!? _You don't know _me!?_" Ruby mentally slapped herself in the face with biggest steel hammer she could imagine, but at least she managed to keep her nervousness off her face. The blonde woman was literally fuming in flames now – Ruby nearly gawked at her golden, _burning _hair before she caught herself – but at least she hasn't charged like a bull and knock her into the skies… yet. And did her eyes just flash red? "I am Yang Xiao Long, daughter of the Wild Dragon of Vytal and heir to the greatest clan in Jiu Xu! You will call me Yang. Now stop pretending ignorance and answer my question!"

The Wild Dragon of Vytal? That's her contact! Somehow, through sheer dumb luck she had stumbled into the daughter of the man she was searching for! Instantly Ruby understood that this was an opportunity she could not miss, and the young girl quickly formulated a response in her mind. She raised both her arms into the air in a casual gesture of non-violence – though she was careful to keep her weapon out of sight with her crimson cloak,

"You are his daughter? This is most convenient then. I am Ruby," she hesitated for a second before continuing, "Ruby Rose. I have some matters that need discussing with Mr. Yang Ju Long, and I would be in your greatest debt if you would bring me to your father. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the bombing – I've only arrived here only just a few hours ago. I am sorry for your loss."

Ruby resisted the urge to heave a tired sigh at the elongated reply, and waited for judgment with nervous anxiety. The blonde woman's – Yang Xiao Long's – posture stiffened at the mention of her father's name, and this time there was no mistaking the strange phenomenon: the woman's eyes flashed red again before returning into the usual violet, and her hair flared up in bright yellow flames. This must be the extension of her Aura; her Semblance. It seemed to be an Emotional type, a power that reacts to the host's feelings. Ruby filed the information to the back of her mind for future use, and as if on cue Yang Xiao Long had finally answered,

"You… don't seem to be lying, and not many people at all know my Da's real name. Are you really not involved in the bombing? Are you not plotting against my clan? And what is it so important that you need to meet Da in person?"

Her hostility and suspicion seemed lesser than before, and Ruby took it as a good sign to continue being honest, "I really don't know about anything like that, or I would've been more… discreet. As for the nature of my business… I'm afraid I can't say. Not here at least, I'm sure you understand."

The woman glared sternly into her eyes as if trying to sense the lies lurking underneath her words. Having being completely honest with her replies though, Ruby simply stared back with quiet calmness before Yang started up again, "Well, it's fine if you can't state your business, but you must have some way to prove your identity. Where are you from? Who do you work for? Do you at least have someone in mind that could vouch for you?"

Ruby scratched her head at the beginnings of another round of anxiety, "Well… I can't tell you where I come from, and I'm a lone wolf, a mercenary of sorts. As for the vouch, actually…"

* * *

_"Yang Ju Long. Right," It was three in the morning, and Ruby was detailing the layout of her plans verbally even as Mrs. Amberson yawned loudly into her hands. However, wanting to have the absolute best preparation in pursuing this new lead the old lady gave her, Ruby ignored the obvious and pressed on without a care,_

_"So I would go to the city, find a clan member of the Yang clan – preferably a man of power, or if I'm lucky someone who knows him personally – and tell them my wish to meet him. I will then give them your vouch as proof of my innocence."_

_"Well, cut out the vouch part then yes, that's one way of doing things," Mrs. Amberson yawned once again, this time standing up from her seat and not even pretending she was going to listen anymore. Ruby jumped up from her own in panic and quickly grabbed onto the old lady's sleeves,_

_"Wait, what? You can't vouch for me? But I thought you know each other! And how am I going to see him if I have nothing to prove myself?"_

_Mrs. Amberson gave her an irritable glance and shrugged impatiently, "Sure, you can use my name if you want, but don't be surprised if you wake up the next morning dead, naked, and hung upside down in the middle of the streets. He's cranky that way."_

_"… Might I ask exactly what have you done to make a man so vengeful?"_

_"Oh, nothing much. We used to be lovers once," Mrs. Amberson said as if that was the answer everything, and tried pulling away. But still Ruby refused to let go until finally, the woman sighed and added something more, "I also killed his bitch wife – the _second _one, mind you, the one he took in after Lia passed away – because she once tried to kick me out of the house. Like, who the hell does she think she is? I'll tolerate Lia, but no way in fucking hell I'll take _that _one's_ _insult in the face... What? Murder is a legitimate way to solve love triangles, okay!?"_

* * *

"… I er, no. _No_. I do not have anyone who could vouch for me," Ruby returned back to Earth feeling twice as terrible and infinitely saddened by the cruel reality. However, when she looked upwards, she was very surprised see Yang Xiao Long studying her face intently literally just a few inches away. _When did she get so near? _Ruby leaped back reflexively and stuttered, "Erm, well, I er, I guess I _can't_ prove myself. Never mind, sorry for all the inconvenience, I'll guess I'll just leave and… find a way somehow. La –"

"Wait a second."

The words froze Ruby Rose at mid turn, and she turned back stiffly to look at Yang, "Yes?"

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you. Let us suppose that you found where our headquarters are. Do you think you'll be able to sneak in far enough to meet Da?" Yang asked what must be the weirdest question Ruby has ever heard in her entire life, and for whatever reason the woman had lost all sense of hostility, "And don't tell me you can't fight. I think – no, I _know_ you can."

"I – er, I –" The young girl could not stop stuttering, and for every step she took backwards the blonde woman simply closed back the gap with her own forwards. Ruby couldn't even laugh it off if she wanted to; that was in fact exactly the Plan B she had in mind, and exactly the excuse she was prepared to use when faced with such a question. Is this woman a mind reader or something? Or was she just as bad as Mrs. Amberson had said; that her facial expression was really, really, _really_ that obvious? "Well, maybe, but of _course_ I won't –"

"_Maybe_? Do you know that our security is the absolute best in the entire city?" the blonde woman just kept striding in closer, and before she knew it Ruby had found herself backed completely against the wall. The girl couldn't help but suppress a squeak when Yang Xiao Long finally walked right in front of her before bowing slightly downwards and looked her directly in the eye,

"We have a hundred of guards patrolling just the inner perimeter of our walls. We know every crook and nanny of our place so that not even a rat could sneak in, and believe me; we fry those in fire very frequently just in case someone got really creative. There are also the elite captains and their units guarding the private corridors of our mansion, and each one of them can hold their own against a horde of Beowolves. Then there are the Three Guardians of Yang."

The woman held up a palm, and all the sudden it became enveloped in bright, yellow flames. Ruby felt completely mesmerized by the flickering, dancing patterns of fire as Yang continued speaking, "The first would be Lie Ren, a genius martial artist practitioner. His best record was slaying a King Tajitsu barehanded. The second was Nora Valkyrie, a rough girl my age who singlehandedly pummeled an entire horde of Ursas to dust. And then of course, there's me."

The fire suddenly flared upwards in a terrifying column of heat, threatening to burn poor Ruby's face with just inches to spare. Still the young girl had shown absolutely no signs of fear, and Yang nodded as if she had just confirmed something. In an instant the flames dissipated into nothingness, and Yang smiled as cheerful as the sun, "I burn _everything_. So now you know exactly how much danger you'd have to go through just to meet my Da, and hell, that fickle bastard might not even want to see you. So,"

Finally the blonde woman moved away with an amiable shrug of her shoulders, and Ruby dragged in a deep breath to savor the air of freedom, "Do you still think you can get in, girl? Do you really believe you can do it?"

It was an insane question. Yang was literally asking her whether she wanted to commit a crime and break into her house. Common sense dictated that Ruby should deny the accusation with every breath in her lungs, and yet her intuition seemed to be disagreeing with it, and that tiny bell inside her head has saved her life countless of times. Perhaps telling the truth would be the best idea after all.

"If that's all, then yeah," Before she knew it the words were already out of her mouth, and as her nervousness faded away and her tone grew far firmer and sure, "I will get in. Obviously, if I have to go against all of you together then things might get a little out of hand, but… yeah. I can."

Yang stared at her. The fiery woman was literally staring with the most incredulous look Ruby has seen in her entire life. _There you go, idiot_, Ruby sighed and prepared to slap herself with the mental hammer again, _you've ruined everything, and all because you couldn't bloody lie to save your own life. Now you'd _really _have to try and sneak in, and thanks to your idiocy they have all the warning needed to make this ten times harder than it should –_

"Pfft. Ha. Hahahahaha!"

Ruby pulled herself away from the depressive thoughts and frowned dubiously at Yang. The blonde woman seemed to be laughing. In fact, she began laughing so hard that the entire alley was reverberating with the unpleasant noise. That was weird; that definitely wasn't the reaction she was expecting at all. It took a full minute before the woman finally managed to calm herself down and said between gasps,

"Good, Ruby Rose! Very good! I like your style! Very well, I will vouch for you and personally bring you up to Da myself. I swear this on my honor, on one condition," Yang Xiao Long, daughter of the Wild Dragon of Vytal, slowly moved her limbs and fell into a familiar fighting stance. Ruby sensed the change of atmosphere and immediately tensed up equally in response. This time, even she could guess where this was headed to,

"You'll have to beat me. Show me the proof of your strength, if you're really as capable as you claim to be, then this should be no problem at all, no?" Yang smiled provocatively while gesturing with her right hand, "Or are you just all talk with no show, huh? Don't worry; I still like you – even if you might be missing a few frontal teeth."

Ruby Rose cocked her head to one side as if she couldn't believe her ears. For a time she simply stared at Yang as if trying to decide whether the woman meant every word, before finally she asked, "What do you mean exactly by beating you? Do I make you submit? Do I knock you out? Or do I hurt you that you're unable to fight any longer?"

Ruby had not meant to provoke Yang Xiao Long; it was just something she usually confirmed before dueling a human opponent. Yang however, obviously saw it as a counter provocation, and instantly the blonde woman's eyes turned completely red with fire exploding throughout her entire body. Yang snapped back angrily, unable to ignore the slander to her pride, "Oh, just do whatever you like, _girl_. I'd like to see you _try_!"

_Ka chink. Ka chink. Ka chink._

* * *

It was a result that should not have been possible. Part of her mind still would not accept reality, and it took every shred of self-control at her disposal to control the raging pride that threatened to override her senses. What's worse was that deep down at the bottom of her heart, Yang Xiao Long knew she had _not _underestimated the young girl, that despite her uncontrolled outburst at the unexpected provocation she had _not _once let her guard down. She should've been able to see it. She should've been able to at least move out of the way. Yang even believed that if her monster Da had been her opponent, she still would've been able to slug in a single punch before being blown ten streets across the city.

But no. It pained Yang to admit it, but it was a sad fact that she did not notice the rifle behind Ruby's waist_ this entire fucking time, _hidden cleverly by her cloak and body until it was already too late. Three empty shots had been discharged. That was three times Yang could've been dead when the muzzle zipped briefly across her heart, her neck, and right between the eye. Yang Xiao Long has certainly never been humiliated as badly as she was today in her entire life.

"I believe that counts as my win," the young girl – _Ruby Rose_ – had said hesitantly with a somewhat uncomfortable look in her eyes. _This cheeky little brat, is she… sympathizing with me? Am I really that _weak _in her eyes?_ "Or did I make a mistake? Were you not finished with the rules?"

And yet despite all the reluctance and shame, Yang Xiao Long understood with absolute clarity that she has lost utterly and completely to Ruby Rose. No, it was _never_ a shame losing to a true fighter, a true _Huntress_ of her caliber – if anything, it was perhaps the second greatest honor she had ever attained. Yang Xiao Long was a lucky woman, even though the fight had ended far too quickly and one-sided to feel anything but that. Realizing that brooding was only going to lower her morale even further, Yang lowered her fists down to waist level and forced out a single laughter,

"Haha! God damn, I lost that badly huh? Never thought there was anyone but Da who could put me down like that, but hell, you sure showed me something good, Ruby Rose. This is your win alright, and as promised I'll bring you to see Da."

"… I see. Thank you," the young girl finally relaxed her posture and released the grip she has on her weapon, and before long her blood red cloak seemed to flutter willfully and hid the weapon once again completely from view. It's almost as if that piece of cloth had a life of its own, but surely that can't be possible, "I'm sorry if I've… hurt your pride. You are very good yourself, it's just…"

"You don't need to explain anything. Please," Yang held up a hand and silenced the girl. Ruby actually looked genuinely concerned and was simply trying to comfort, but the woman was _very _sure that the end result would just be counter-productive, "Now, just follow my lead, and make sure no one's following us. While our home location isn't a secret, the entrance I'm going to walk you in is. But I'm sure you can do that just fine, eh?"

Yang turned her back towards Ruby and walked away before the latter could say anything. Before long, she heard the young girl's steps running right up to her side, and together they trod along the narrow, endless maze of alleyways in complete silence. That was the way Yang preferred it to be right now.

"Let's have a rematch once my business is over. I could always use the warm up."

… Or maybe not. That won't be her style after all, right? Yang grinned despite herself and declared loudly, "No problem! But don't you think it's gonna be so easy next time, big sis!"


	2. The Yang Family

**Author's Note: A glimpse into Ruby's background, and some fun interaction between the main members of the Yang family. I've also changed a character's (yet to be shown, but she's mentioned in the chapter) name to fit Monty Oum's Naming Rules for the RWBY Universe. Of course this is AU, but that is one rule I can conform to since I have very few OC characters in this story.**

**I originally wanted to split this to two parts, but currently the Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie section wasn't significant enough to warrant a single chapter. So it's a long read, but since the next chapter will star (in my opinion) one of the coolest battle scenes I've written for this story, I beg you to be patient for just a little longer.**

* * *

Ruby emerged from the bottom of the sewer hole with great relish, and as she landed on ground the red haired girl sucked in greedily a gulp of fresh air. She looked around to see in awe a lush garden filled with beautiful flowers and well-trimmed grasses. Huge trees were planted and nurtured at certain sweet spots of the huge land, and Ruby's sharp eyes easily picked out a bird's nest or two with chirps singing into her ears like a lullaby. The young girl had lived most of her life at the north, and the years she spent traveling were mostly around the northern-central regions. Between literal wastelands and industrialized cities, she has almost never seen a land lush with greenery, and right now Ruby had all but forgotten her purpose at the great Yang's mansion as she stared left and right, up and down all over with child-like sparkles in her eyes.

The secret path Yang had offered to guide her through was apparently the city's massive underground sewer system. The benefits were obvious: Not many people travel down here at all due to the terrible stink and filth, and since the entire underground network was a huge maze of ink black darkness, it made perfect sense for the Yang family to claim a small portion of it for their many operations. From the back alley where they fought, Yang had simply led the young girl down a secluded and covered up manhole nearby and straight towards the mansion. The blonde woman fiery Semblance made navigating through the dark incredibly easy, and she was apparently very familiar with that particular underground path. Not once Ruby had seen Yang showing any hesitation or fear as they walked past blank walls and passages that looked completely identical throughout the uneventful, one hour journey.

As Ruby continued to gawk at the surroundings, Yang was crouching right next to her with a right hand extended awkwardly and a look of chagrin on her face. The length between the underground sewers and the surface exit to their mansion was a good twenty feet high with a retractable steel ladder that's pulled up right after usage, and while it would of course not deter any determined Aura warriors, it was more than enough against the common intruders and scavengers. On the other hand, Ruby Rose had defied common sense and cleared that distance effortlessly with a straight vertical leap. She did not use any propellants from her weapons, she did not even try to grab a hold on the wall and boost herself upwards. The feat was a burst of strength that came purely from her leg muscles and Aura, and even though she was small in size, the girl had a _lot _of both.

"Big sis, I know you're not a show off, but it's best to keep your skills, well, toned down around here. Not even Ren could do that without a run up, you know?"

"Oh, sorry – can you stop calling me that already, Yang? It's embarrassing!" Ruby slapped onto Yang's outstretched palm and pulled her upwards even as she was complaining. The blonde woman simply gave her a devious grin as the duo began trekking down a small path of flat stones and said,

"But my dear _big sis_, _I'm _the one who's embarrassed here! You're two years younger than me and yet you've already beaten me so thoroughly in a duel! It is only _appropriate_ that I acknowledge you as my better!"

"But I don't _want_ to be acknowledged like that! I, er," it was then the young girl suddenly noticed that she was attracting a lot attention from the surrounding guards, and those who heard Yang's dramatic declaration of her defeat were literally gawking, "Anyway, I'm just a normal girl with normal knees and am absolutely nothing special ahaha, _hahahaha_ so just_ please_ call me Ruby already!"

"Oh, big sis! Even though you took me down literally in a second, even though I couldn't even _move_ during the entire fight, you still insist that you're _nothing special_. You are the most _humble _person I've ever met!" Yang exclaimed while swinging ninety degrees bow again and again dramatically at her general direction. Ruby could not resist slapping a hand onto her face while at the same time fighting down a hysterical urge to strangle a certain someone. Unfortunately her blonde associate was smart enough to stay out of her arm's reach, so in the end the young girl simply decided that she would ignore Yang's antics and focus her thoughts on the upcoming proceedings. Less chance of bursting an artery, and it would better prepare her for the negotiation with Yang Ju Long. Yes, think of work, Ruby Rose.

As if sensing a change in the atmosphere, Yang thankfully grew quiet as the duo finally made it to the front of the mansion. To say that it was huge was an understatement; the building was easily five times bigger than any of the bungalows she saw in the cities, and Ruby suspected it to be just as tricky as the Order's own headquarters. As they stepped onto the front porch, Ruby looked up to see a gold plated, three meters high double door with intricate Eastern dragons design etched onto the surface. Two massive stone pillars formed the support of the roof above them, but in direct contrast to the door their surfaces was a flat, empty grey with no carvings whatsoever on them. It must be symbolic or something. Ruby wondered if it was a good moment to break the silence, but Yang started talking first, sensing the curiosity from her expression. She pointed at the door,

"You might have already known about this, but the Dragon is the greatest and most revered beast in the Eastern culture. It was also used very often to symbolize wealth, power and prosperity, and therefore, with the Golden Dragon carved onto the door, it is believed that all those wonderful things will flow endlessly into our clan."

Next, she pointed at the two stone pillars, "However, we are but human beings. Neither are we as great as the mythical beasts of legends, nor do we nearly have as much power and attractions. We are but simple, mortal beings who rely on hard work, dedication and an unyielding spirit to bring forth a trickle of success that eventually accumulates into miracles. These two pillars here are us: commonplace, unremarkable, and yet indispensable supports that served to prop up an opening for the Dragon to bring forth our prosperity. They're here to serve as a reminder that no matter how great our clan has become, no matter how much blessings we were granted, we should never forget our roots as a human; and that only through great virtues and great endurance could we make this prosperity last for a very long time."

Ruby nodded with an impressed look on her face, "That was very interesting. I never thought you to be the knowledgeable type though, much less cultured."

Yang feigned a look of mock hurt as she began walking towards the double doors and pushed it open, "I may be callous, big sis, but I am definitely not illiterate. Besides, what is there not to respect about sound advices? You should never judge a person on first impression, you know?"

_Says the person who was ready to smash apart a cute girl's teeth on first meeting. _The young girl was about to give into just that retort, but her attention was suddenly drawn towards the presence – no, _presences _– behind the opening metal doors. Abruptly two shadows dashed out to the open, and in less than a second Ruby found two sharp daggers propped each onto her neck and spine, and a smiling, orange-haired girl hovering the biggest hammer she has ever seen just above her head. Ruby briefly wondered if her imagination had suddenly come to life, except that even in her head the thing wasn't quite _this _huge.

"So? Are we breaking her head first, or are we doing the legs?" the hammer wielding girl said cheerfully while shaking the weapon vigorously just inches away from Ruby's head. It didn't take a genius to figure out that one wrong move here could result in a very, very gory death.

"Wow, wow guys, cool your horses! This girl here is my acquaintance," Yang immediately stepped in front of the trippy-looking girl and held a firm hand against the gigantic hammer. She then looked backwards at the person behind Ruby and said, "Like seriously, stop. How many times do I have to tell you this is _not _the best way to welcome our guests?"

"Standard security measures, Yang. Your father set the rules himself," a calm, male voice rang out from behind Ruby's ears, "I am terribly sorry, Miss, but please leave all weapons or items behind before you proceed."

Yang looked like she wanted to say something more, but Ruby interrupted and spoke boldly, "I am afraid I cannot, Mr. Lie Ren. My master had taught me that my weapon is my life, and hence I cannot possibly part with Crescent Rose. Please, let me pass by with them."

The young man raised a surprised eyebrow, "I see that Yang has placed great trust in you to tell you our names. However, I cannot compromise on this –"

Abruptly his words came to a frozen stop, and Yang grinned an 'I told you so' look as the other girl – Nora Valkyrie – exclaiming a surprised cry. Somehow, Ruby has maneuvered her weapon behind the folds of her cloak and had the muzzle directly against Lie Ren's groin. To say that the moment was an unpleasant experience for the young man would certainly be the greatest understatement of all times, and yet Lie Ren still remained calm. Ruby was impressed that other than the initial spike in his heartbeat, she could feel no disorder whatsoever afterwards as he continued to speak, "A very bold move, young miss. However, I believe my daggers will be faster."

"My name is Ruby Rose. Do what you want, but you will not hit me," Ruby declared without even the slightest trace of hesitation, "I on the other hand, will most certainly hit _you_. Let me pass, Mr. Lie Ren. I have important business to discuss with your Head, and every second delayed is a second wasted. I swear upon my honor that I will do no harm as long as I'm under the Yang clan's protection."

"Again, bold words, Miss Rose. You should know that bold words are still empty."

"Ren," Yang motioned at the reluctant Nora to back off before turning towards the duo, "I brought her here. I will vouch for her integrity. You understand what that means, don't you?"

Ren shot an unusually intense glare towards Yang and replied, "Yang, forgive me for saying this, but the last 'guest' you brought in wasn't exactly the best model citizen."

_The last 'guest'? _Ruby sensed a story behind the cryptic and harsh comment, but now wasn't the time to ask about them. For a second there Yang had looked absolutely furious, but then she deflated almost immediately and said with unusual seriousness, "Ren, I know I'm not the best of characters for a vouch, but trust me, she is _honest_. Where else would you find an idiot who openly declare _not _to surrender with a blade on her throat?"

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.

Yang ignored her and continued, "I know we have a history, Ren, but I beg you to trust me; Ruby is a good girl. And please – let's not talk about _her, _okay? She has nothing to do with this."

Yang looked into Lie Ren's eyes with strong determination and an unquestionable will. There seemed to be an endless amount of words exchanged between the duo, although Ruby could not fathom what they could possibly be. For a moment they simply stood there glaring at each other until finally, Lie Ren heaved a huge sigh and backed away. He bowed towards Ruby in a gesture of apology before doing the same to Yang, except that his stance was far lower, "I _do _trust your judgment, Yang, it's just that I hope you could be less… unconventional. And about that… I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Yang held her head high and laughed as if nothing deadly had happened for the past few minutes. In a way, Ruby truly admired the woman's spirit to be cheerful no matter what the circumstances, "Its fine! And stop with the bows already, you know they give me the _shivers_, ugh_. _Or was that exactly why you're doing it? Hmm?"

Lie Ren straightened back up with a wry smile on his face, "Whatever you say, Yang. Now then, I believe that we have wasted enough time."

"That's because of you, stiff head," Yang couldn't resist a retort before she finally turned and smiled good-naturedly at Ruby, "Well then, big sis. That was a little dangerous, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," Ruby muttered noncommittally while returning the smile. This situation was cupcake compared to the Demons she fought before, but of course she couldn't very well tell Yang that, "But I'd rather not talk about it; it would be in bad taste. Also, as –" she looked to Lie Ren for approval, and the young man simply shrugged a shoulder and walked ahead, "– Ren had mentioned, it's time we left. Let's go."

"Oh, c'mon, don't be such a spoilsport! Even you have to admit that you were in a tight pinch! Ren is the type of guy who would do his duty unto death, you know, with or without a dick," Yang grinned deviously as the green-clad warrior in front of them shuddered into a stop, but to his great credit, he did not fall for the bait and strode on, "You can't possibly tell me that you could've slipped away even in _that_ kind of situation, could you? Hahahaha!"

"…"

"… Hey. _Hey_. Look me in the eyes. Why aren't you answering? Are – are you _serious?_ Could you really have…?" Yang gawked at Ruby with utter disbelief as if she had grown wings or something, but the young girl chose to just ignore her completely while following right behind Ren. Meanwhile, Nora was running circles around Ren non-stop as they entered into the deeper sections of the mansion.

"… Er, Ren, can I like, rethink my stance on the no weapons policy?"

"If the Head dies," Lie Ren answered with his chilliest voice, "We will be sure to follow his will and hang you naked on the streets. Nora, grab her."

The rest of the little trip was accompanied by Yang's pitiful cries as Nora dragged the poor woman on one leg and across the carpet towards Yang Ju Long's room.

* * *

"Wow."

Ruby could not suppress a gasp of awe as she looked all around the interior of the various rooms and pathways she passed through. While she would be exaggerating if she said that she has never seen any forms of luxury, but even then the wealth displayed by the Yang family was pretty otherworldly. The floor was made of smooth, polished marble which was cool to touch and helped lowered the interior temperature down to a soothing level. The walls – all reinforced steel and concrete, according to Yang's explanation – were hung with a near endless amount of portraits and paintings, and Ruby actually recognized some of them to be incredibly famous arts she had seen only in the old textbooks. Along the way, they've even passed through a room filled with stone carvings and statues, and most of them seemed to be self-made, again Ruby recognized a couple of super famous and super expensive sculptures that had her shudder in fear just walking past them. It was a nerve wracking experience to say the least, and the young girl could not fathom how the servants here work each day without succumbing to the fear of accidentally breaking any one of these relics.

At this point Ruby could not help but ask Yang exactly what kind of business they were conducting to be _this _rich, but the blonde woman simply smiled enigmatically and did not answer. That by itself said volumes, and while Ruby did not exactly approve of criminal activity, she understood well enough that her own existence was even more twisted as compared to the life Yang was leading. She had absolutely no rights to comment on the blonde woman's lifestyle, especially when she seemed born to it from the beginning. Yang couldn't have objected even if she wanted to.

Ruby, on the other hand, had a choice. But she chose to become an Executioner, and despite all the hardships and pain she went through, Ruby did not regret her current way of life. Even if the path she walked now was for the sake of selfish revenge, even if her _master_ would've objected to it, Ruby refused to regret the way she has chosen. She had come this far, and the young girl intended to see the end of this story of her life no matter what.

"Here we are. Please wait a second while I inform Master Yang. Nora, you stay here."

Ruby snapped out of her reverie and noticed that they've stopped in front of a single room. The door was open, and it was apparently the way it usually was since Lie Ren entered right away without the slightest hesitation. While they waited – with Nora still grabbing onto Yang's limb and the latter trying futilely with all her might and silver tongue to pull away - Ruby took her time to examine the exterior of Yang Ju Long's room, and for all the luxuries they passed by it was surprisingly plain and simple. It was a simple but heavy oak door, with simple lines and no intricate carvings whatsoever. A long piece of white, half transparent curtain was hung above the entrance, and although Ruby could somewhat see into the interior, she saw only a black cupboard filled with books. If she wanted to look further she would've to put a head in, and Ruby judged it too impolite just to satisfy her curiosity. They're going to enter eventually anyway, and right now the young girl could wait.

However, the seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes dragged long into an hour. Never the patient woman to begin with, Yang Xiao Long leaped onto her feet with a frustrated look on her face. Ruby was surprised that she managed to hold out as long as she did, "What the hell is taking Ren and Da so long? They should've called us in since long ago! Nora let me go, I need to go take a look!"

"Nope. Ren asked me to watch over you two, and so I will. Sorry, but I'm not letting out of my sight!" Nora said casually even though her eyes were dead serious. Ruby glanced at the girl momentarily, noting once again that she was one of the weirdest people she has ever seen in her life. Just a moment ago she had looked as hyperactive as a six years old, and their first meeting was filled with barely restrained delight at possible bloodlust. Now she was looking the strict officer who would brook no offenses, although that strange twinkle in her eyes suggested that something was afoot. Even her outfit was kind of strange: Nora Valkyrie wore a collared black vest that ends at her waist. Under the vest were two layers of clothing, colored red and light blue respectively. She also wore a white, sleeveless top with an open heart shape just below her neck, and a detached sleeve on each arm. Finally, the girl sported a pink skirt that ended at mid-thigh and pink white shoes with pink laces.

"I can wait, Yang. Let's not trouble the Master Yang until he's ready," Ruby tried to appease the increasingly aggravated woman, but to no avail. The blonde began stomping in a circle as loudly as she could while saying,

"We _can't_ wait, big sis. At this time he'll be working on those boring as hell documents and last time I checked he _always_ finished on _midnight_. I am _not _going to waste the entire day waiting when there are better things to do!" Yang tried walking into her Da's room again, but just like last time, Nora easily kept her rooted in place with a simple grab of the wrist. Yang stared exasperatedly at the girl until suddenly, something clicked inside her head,

"Hey wait a second. I'm the daughter of our Head, so why on earth are you listening to Ren's orders and not mine?" Yang exclaimed.

"Huh? But you're just a Guardian like us! Equal status!" Nora chirped in without missing a heartbeat.

"Yes, but I'm _still _daughter of the Wild Dragon of Vytal," Yang put an emphasis on the Head's title, "so I have added authority _and_ power! You should let me in!"

"Huh," That seemed to have stumped Nora a little as she scratched her head, "Doesn't matter! All I know is that Ren asked me to stay here, and before he asked me not to let you go. And since he's my partner and we've been together since forever and we are _all _Guardians, I choose to listen to him!"

"That doesn't even make _sense_!" Yang turned to look at Ruby, but the young girl shook her head and looked away with an innocent look on her face. She would not get involved with the pointless argument. Yang shot her a betrayed look before finally, she growled, "That's it, if you're not letting go on the count of three, I'm gonna freaking punch you so hard that you'll –"

"– do nothing of that sort. We do not punish our kin for upholding the laws of our clan. You on the other hand, daughter, seem to be in need of a lesson."

Abruptly the two women stopped scuffling, and everyone's attention was drawn towards the stern, fearsome man who had just exited the room, as Ren followed a few steps behind him respectfully. Ruby was almost certain that this six feet tall giant of a man clad in the black traditional clothes the same style as Ren was Yang Ju Long, the person she was looking for. The presence emanating from this person – this former _Huntsman _– was so vast and powerful that he could be on par with some of the Masters of the Order themselves. While she did think that the Wild Dragon of Vytal must be a man of great power, her imagination had greatly fallen short of the reality before her. _If he decides to become an enemy, I might not make out of this place alive. _The young girl instinctively clenched a sweaty finger onto Crescent Rose, but she quickly let go and forced herself to face her contact with a blank but professional expression.

Yang however, wasn't feeling nearly as much pressure as Ruby was, even if she was the man's daughter, "There you are, Da! What's taking you so long? We've been waiting here for a whole hour!"

"Work," Ju Long replied flatly, "A task that you still don't seem to understand of its importance. One that you'll have to inherit and do eventually, if the Yang clan was to continue its great fortune."

"Never! They're all stupid stuff anyway!" Yang replied cheerfully while being completely oblivious to the fact that she has just indirectly called her father stupid. Ruby had to wipe away a cold sweat on the woman's behalf, "Anyway, now that you're here we can finally talk about business. And by that I mean this cute little red here called Ruby Rose!"

In an instant the entire hall froze as if encased in ice, and before she knew it Ruby had leaped like thunder a good ten meters away with her rifle held stiffly right in front of her. Everyone but Ju Long was staring at her with shock, and still it took her a few seconds before the girl finally realized she might've made a terrible mistake – thank _god_ she at least had the sense not to unleash her weapon's second mode – and slowly put Crescent Rose away. Yang was the quickest to realize what had transpired between the two as she turned towards her father furiously, "Da, what are you doing!? She's a guest!"

"That is my question, daughter," Yang Ju Long said mildly even as the immense pressure expanded and pressed down onto Ruby from all directions like wet concrete. At this point the girl's realized abruptly that she wasn't the only one who was suffering from the intense weight – Nora was now lying flat face on the ground, Lie Ren knelt on one knee with a terribly strained look on his face, and Yang was the only one other than her who's still somewhat standing, "I thought you'd have learned from past experience. Do you have any idea who you've just brought through our front doors?"

"Lily has _nothing _to do with this!" Yang shouted in irritation. _Lily? _Ruby wondered as the blonde woman stepped boldly in between the duo and spoke, "Here's the truth. I have only known her for a few hours, and I have no idea where she's from, what she's done, or absolutely everything else but her name and age," To Ruby's amazement, the blonde woman flung her both hands to the air and exclaimed loudly, "_So what?_ I trust her, Da; I _know_ that she's genuine. That's why I brought her here when she said she needed to see you. End of story!"

"Have you even considered the possibility that she may be an assassin sent here to kill me?"

Ju Long sighed and switched his attention to glare at Yang directly, and even from the back Ruby could see the blonde woman shivering violently under the intense pressure her father now directed upon her. She tried to intervene and raised her own voice, but Yang had cut in first with a tone of absolute, almost casual conviction, "No way, Da. Sure, I've seen Ruby done incredible things," Yang turned her head slightly back to glance at the wary young girl, "but even then, she's still too young; way too young to be a threat to the Wild Dragon of Vytal. Or are you telling me that you're getting so _old_ that you can't even handle a kid, huh?"

They held each other's glare for a second. Then two. Then a full ten seconds went by before finally, Ju Long gave a surprising smile and relinquished his battle pressure. Almost immediately Ruby was assaulted by such a sense of incredible lightheadedness that she nearly dropped to the ground, holding up only through sheer willpower and pride. Yang, for all her bravado, had collapsed to the ground on her back with a look of absolute exhaustion and breathing heavily.

"Forgive my rudeness, Miss Rose," Ju Long walked towards the nearest corner and sat down on a stone chair. He then motioned her to take the seat beside him, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she complied, "But I had to test you. Unfortunately, I do not have the best relationship with your… kind. Yes, I know. I apologize if I've offended you."

"None taken. They were never a social group to begin with," Ruby replied wryly as she rubbed her own hands to get some feeling back to them. She wasn't surprised that Ju Long knew her real identity. Her weapon – while uncommon even among the Executioners – itself was a dead giveaway, and considering his age the man must've fought his fair share of Executioners in the past, "But I am no longer with them. The organization would not allow independent action, and there was something that I need to do no matter what. So I ran away."

Yang Ju Long followed every word with great interest, but then he frowned deeply when he saw Yang still lying on the floor, but creeping closer with her fingers and toes trying to listen in. The man abruptly grabbed hold of the vase of cactus on the table and flung it at the woman, causing the latter to yelp and leap to her feet. _Ooh, she caught the cactus with her bare hands, that must really hurt,_ "What the hell Da – Ow ow ouch!"

"Daughter, this is private business," Ju Long said sternly even as Ruby marveled at their most astounding father and daughter relationship, "And since you never showed any interest in my work before, I'm sure you would rather be somewhere else."

Yang, in complete contrast to her seriousness before, complained like a child who just had her cookie stolen, "But Da, I'm the one who brought her here! And I want to know more about to Ruby too; it's totally unfair that you get to know things even though you're the one threatening her from the beginning!"

_Do you really think of him as a father, Yang? _The veins on Ju Long's forehead seemed to bulge in purple, and Ruby quickly interjected before Yang could make things any worse, "It's okay, Mr. Yang, Yang – er, I mean Xiao Long – can stay here if she wants. Same goes to Ren and Nora," she motioned at the duo who was standing guard at the far corner of the room. The duo looked completely surprised at the unexpected offer, and before Ren could decline Nora had already bounced towards Ruby with an incredibly excited look on her face. She had to back herself flat on the wall as the hyperactive woman literally sprayed spit before her face, "Can we really? Really? Really! That's so kind of you Ruby thank you!"

"Just call me Master Ju Long. Nora, move away, you're scaring our guest. Also, are you really sure?" Ju Long asked with a mix of concern and curiosity, "I thought that you would like to remain anonymous."

"Well, yes, that would be best," Ruby sighed a little before looking at a surprised Yang and smiled, "But I owe it to Yang to tell her the truth – or at least, some of it – about myself. She helped me a lot even though I was practically just a stranger. This is the least I can do to repay her generosity."

Yang held herself high and grinned as proudly as a peacock, even though Ruby spotted a tint of red on her cheeks, "Hah! That's right! I know you're a good girl from the very beginning, Ruby!"

Suddenly the young girl felt like teasing her a little, "… You were going to punch me when we first met though."

"That was, uh," Yang stuttered at the sudden comment as everyone present suddenly glared daggers at the panicking brawler, "It was just a mistake!"

"She's just an idiot," Ju Long sighed tiredly.

"Agreed."

"No objections there."

"Yay!"

"Hey!"

* * *

"So," Ju Long took a sip from his cup of tea. Lie Ren was surprisingly an amazing tea brewer, "Now that we've settled ourselves, shall we begin?"

"Yes," Ruby nodded as she took a taste from her own, and then another. The _long jǐng chá – _or Dragon Well Tea _–_ was so exquisite that she had to physically restrain herself from taking another sip, "Let me start by introducing myself, even though I'm sure all of you already know my name. I am Ruby, Ruby Rose. I... am also a former Executioner of the Order."

There was only dead silence. Yang's mouth fell open big enough to fit a whole pancake, even as understanding began to dawn over the woman's features. Lie Ren had clamped a hand over his noisy friend's mouth so she couldn't interrupt.

"For as long as I could remember, I've lived and trained under the Order's roof. I have no memories of my parents, and I do not even know if they're still alive – it doesn't matter," Ruby shrugged carelessly at the sympathetic coos from Nora and Yang; as far as she's concerned there was only one person whom she would think of as a parent, "At any rate, I was brought up to know only three things in my life: stealth, discretion, and demons. The first two is to safeguard the secrets of the Order, and to keep our existence as invisible and inconspicuous as possible. We are essentially an independent organization that operates completely outside the boundaries of the law, and our activities aren't what you'd call lawful by any sense. So ideally, as far as the world is concerned, we are an entity that doesn't even exist. We are the forgotten ghosts of Remnant no one will ever know or remember, who live and die for only one purpose.

And that is to exterminate Demons."

Ruby waited. Sure enough, Nora resolutely peeled Ren's hand away from her mouth – not that the guy stood a chance in the first place – and chirped in her two cents,

"I think you're wrong, Ruby!"

"_Miss _Ruby, Nora," Ren sighed.

"Whatever!" Nora continued to stare at Ruby with a childlike smile, "Ruby, I'm the not the most intellectual person to talk about this, certainly not even close to Ren's level, but! I thought Demons don't exist, or at least not since the Grimm War, right?"

"They do," Ruby shook her head firmly to emphasis the point, "They're still here, and these beings come in all forms and shapes and powers. Believe me, they are terrifying monsters you never want to face in your entire life. The Order's entire existence was created to combat these _things_ and keep them forever away from the realms of men, and that was about the only noble purpose they have left, too. Unfortunately, even that seemed to have changed recently," Ruby said bitterly.

"Er, Ruby," Yang asked tentatively, even though she seemed to have guessed the answer, "Have you... fought one of these Demons before?"

"Yes I did. Most of them are pretty weak – about the same level as a Deathstalker, I suppose – but I have killed two high rank demons by myself," Ruby replied with a proud note in her voice.

But to her complete surprise, Yang suddenly slammed a loud fist onto the table with an absolutely furious look on her face. Ju Long frowned at the loud ring resulted from her metal gauntlets coming in contact with the marble table, but Yang was too angry to give notice, "A Deathstalker. You're telling me that you're fighting monsters the level of _Deathstalkers_ regularly. I don't even want to think how powerful a high level one is. What age were you when you killed your first Demon, eh? This is absolutely _despicable_!"

Abruptly Ruby understood why Yang was so angry. Considering the fact that most Huntsmen and Huntresses were trained at a very young age, they were never tested against a real Grimm until at least the age of twelve, and even then their fiercest opponent was either a single Beowolf or Ursa. Deathstalkers on the other hand, were gigantic, scorpion-like creatures which could grow up to a maximum of twenty feet long and are extremely territorial. Armed with double pincers and stinger and protected by a near impenetrable hard shell, it was a creature that only would require at least a full team of warriors to hunt down. Most of the Huntsmen and Huntresses of this era have never even seen a Deathstalker, much less fight one, since the creature rarely comes out from its chosen cave and has been mostly routed within the Kingdoms and major trade routes.

Ruby had taken down her first Deathstalker level Demon at the young age of nine. She saw no need to tell Yang this truth and rile her up further, "Yang, please, it wasn't as bad as it sounded. I survived, didn't I? In fact, I'm actually worried at the current state of the Remnant's common warriors. Here's a question: do you think you could take down a Deathstalker on your own?"

"I… No. Maybe," Yang said uncertainly, "I suppose I could find a way to get past its defenses, but honestly, it's just way too risky. I doubt I'll ever try and fight any of those things alone."

"And that is a problem. Don't you see? Whether or not we are prepared, those things – those _Demons _– are lurking out there, just waiting for a chance to strike at us. Of course, there aren't many of them – we would've already been wiped off the planet otherwise – but they still _exist_. I, for one, am glad that I'm strong enough to face those things," Ruby pretended as if she didn't see the sad look on Yang's features, "I have no desire to sit around and wait for my doom if I had the luck of running into those monsters. In fact, let them all come – I'll kill them all."

Ruby did not realize that she was trembling. In fact, when she came to realization her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. The young girl was not surprised – she _was _in shock – to find her fingers trembling even as she tried calming herself down and drank some tea. Her master didn't count, but this was truly the first time she had ever confessed to anyone about the dark things of her former occupation.

"I believe that would be enough background stories for now, Miss Rose," Ju Long suddenly spoke, his tone as solid as a rock, "You can state your purpose. What is it that you seek from me?"

"Yes," Ruby said with infinite gratitude at his interjection, "That's right. As I've mentioned before, I'm no longer an Executioner – I left the Order because there are things that I must accomplish, and I came here because an acquaintance told me that you have the information I need," she shivered involuntarily at thought of ghosts from the past, "Please – do you know about the Lost Altar? Do you know where to find it?"

The old man froze, his composure all but gone as he wore a look of utter shock and disbelief. For a second Ruby thought that the Ju Long might actually attack her – in fact his body language said that he was all but poised to strike – but before long, amidst all the alarmed looks surrounding them, the old man heaved a long, terrible sigh and set his teacup down onto the table. Yang moved closer with pure worry on her face; the past half an hour of events was certainly not in any way good for the heart, "Hey Da, are you okay? Do you need to take a break?"

"I'm fine," Ju Long waved a hand impatiently, even though he seemed a little gladdened at the woman's concerns, "Who told you about that? That's not a secret a girl like you should ever know about, unless –" his eyes suddenly burned with an intensity that startled Ruby, and when he spoke there was a note of near wonder, "I am a _fool_. Of course – Ruby _Rose_. It's been so long since – Would you happen to be her child…?"

"No, no! I'm just her apprentice!" Ruby shook her hands frantically while feeling her entire face turn beef red with panic, "I just took her name because – because – I couldn't _possibly _deserve the honor anyway, what was I _thinking_! I should change my name right now, I –"

"Relax, Ruby, it suits you well. It suits you very well, so take a deep breath, okay?" Ju Long smiled widely and patted the young girl softly at the back. This must be a most unusual gesture from the stern man, because Yang's eyes were as wide as saucers, and Ren had to wrestle Nora onto the ground just to shut her up, "I must say that I had never expected to hear anything about her again, much less meeting her student – that woman has always been so enigmatic and secretive."

"I'm sorry, Master Ju Long, but do you know my master… well?" Ruby asked curiously. Her master had always been quiet about her past, and no matter how many times asked the woman about her past 'adventures', she would just give her an enigmatic smile and say nothing at all. However, Ju Long seemed to know a great deal about her mentor, and she was feeling incredibly curious about their relationship.

"Well? I suppose you can say that, yes. We've used to travel together in the past, riding on an airship and flying all over the continent!" Ju Long laughed heartily, and whatever pretense of stiffness or politeness had completely vanished from view. Even Lie Ren was staring at his master with a curious look on his face. For an instant, Ruby thought she could see the young man Ju Long might have been in the past, "Those were good times, really! In fact, if it wasn't for that Ozpin I would've made her my woman too! Ahahahaha!"

Ruby froze like a statue, and her mind couldn't seem to stop rewinding what Master Ju had Long just said. Yang had both hands covering her face as she moaned with a low note of painful despair, _"Daaaaaaaaaa…"_

"Oh, sorry, that was incredibly rude of me," Ju Long coughed into his hands while trying to keep some semblance of professionalism, even though Ruby's image of the man had already shattered into a million pieces, "So how's your mentor doing nowadays? I've been so busy that the only one I'm still in contact with was Ozpin, and even then the bastard was too busy for small chat for the past few months."

_He didn't know_, Ruby realized while feeling a sense of cold dread, even as her voice seemed to be choked off at the center of her throat._ Should I tell him? He would obviously be happier not knowing it, I should just lie and pretend that everything's okay. And yet… is this really the right thing to do? He was master's companion, he… he deserved to _know_._

The terrible images and sounds of that day seemed to be overwhelming her senses once again, and she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, "I…" Ju Long's initial joyful look was slowly being replaced by doubt even as the girl tried yet again to speak something, anything, "She's…"

"Da, are we _really _going to talk about another woman in _mother's _favorite hall?" Yang's voice rang like the bells of heavens, seemingly realized that whatever news Ruby was going to tell was not a good one and interrupted the talk. The wave of relief that followed after was almost too much for her to bear, "In fact, aren't we getting sidetracked here? It's gonna take a whole goddamn week if you talk about those dusty old stories nobody cares about, so let's get down to business already!"

"Hey, my adventures were absolutely glorious, you useless daughter!" Ju Long snapped instinctively at the grinning blonde who shot her a secret wink. _They don't look the same on the outside, but that attitude is like peas in a pod. _Ju Long turned to look at Ruby dubiously again, and this time the young girl regained enough sense to return a smile. Finally he answered, "But I guess we can talk about the past some other time. About the Lost Altar, I _do _know about its current location. However, you understand that the place moves somewhere else every five years, don't you?"

Ruby nodded, "That would be in half a year, or should I say seven months from now, am I right?"

Yang Ju Long gave her an appraising look, "Yes. If you travel by foot it'll take you four months at least, not accounting for accidents that very well may happen during your journey. However, even if you take an airship the last one hundred miles must be trekked by foot."

"I prefer to walk, but if there's a need to hurry I could improvise along the way," the young girl yawned and looked at the golden clock hanging above the ceiling – it was six in the evening. That meant they've been talking for nearly three hours, "I thank you greatly for your help, Mr. Ju Long. I understand that you've placed great trust in me in revealing the location."

"For Rose, this is nothing. I would do anything for her – well, almost everything, considering the huge debt I owed her," Ju Long rolled his eyes at Yang's scathing glare before smiling benevolently at the red haired girl, "Now then, I believe it's time for dinner. Would you care to join us? I hope you're not in too much of a hurry."

"Well… I'm not sure if I should stay, considering that the Order might've already known that I'm here," Ruby replied rather hesitantly, but Yang simply slung a hand over her shoulders and laughed,

"Oh, it's fine! You've been hiding the entire morning at the back alleys, haven't you? In that case you have nothing to worry about – our men might not look like it, but they're pretty good at keeping secrets. They won't breathe a word about your stay. Also, it's just one night! C'mon, don't be a spoilsport!"

"I… well, okay, I guess – Wuaahhh?"

Out of nowhere, Nora Valkyrie had leaped high into mid-air and crashed down onto the duo like a rock. Even Master Ju Long himself had to dodge out of the way as Lie Ren, in a rare moment of panic, completely lost his composure, "Nora, what in the name of flying pancakes are you doing? Get off our guest this instant!"

"He doesn't give one shit about me, does he," Yang muttered under her breath as she tried unsuccessfully at shoving Nora off her.

"But I'm just so happy that Ruby's eating with us!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully, "Besides, you've been holding me back for so long that I just _need _to do something crazy! And so I thought, why don't I welcome our new friend with my super epic uber awesome Dive of the Viking! Ress! Wait, is there such a thing called Vikingress? Oh, who cares!"

"Just get off already, you're suffocating us both," Yang growled menacingly, "And you Da, stop watching at the sideline and bloody help us!"

"Us? I only see you though," Master Ju Long said mildly, "If you're talking about Ruby, she's standing right here. I'm constantly amazed at how oblivious you are, daughter."

"Wha –? _Ruby!_" It was only then that Yang realized that the young girl had somehow slipped away just before Nora had crashed down on them, and right now she was scratching her head from behind Ju Long with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry," she said meekly, "My instincts took over."

Yang could only screech, "You _traitor!_"

"Enough. Nora, you can get up now, we shouldn't delay in preparing dinner just for that stupid daughter of mine, now, should we?" Ju Long began walking towards the left hallway without even bothering to react to Yang's murderous glare, "Ren, I trust you to oversee the kitchen as usual?"

"Yes, Master Yang," Lie Ren bowed respectfully at the retreating figure until Ju Long vanished completely around the corner. Then, with a huge sigh of his own, he forcibly pulled Nora upwards and said, "C'mon Nora, you heard what Master Yang said. Let's go."

"Aw," Reluctantly, the hyperactive woman finally let herself be pulled into an upright position before following right behind Lie Ren. Ruby found herself unable to fathom the relationship this trio shared: Are they on good terms with each other, or do they hate each other's guts? Neither seemed like the right answer. Speaking of which, did Ren really just said 'flying pancakes'?

Yang huffed to herself irritably as she stood up and patted away at her butt, "I swear, someday I'll leave this bloody house and be free of this nonsense. And you! How dare you escape! If I die we die together! That's what friends are for right?"

"Hahaha, I think that's slightly different than the notion of 'friend' I had in mind," Ruby laughed while deadpanning, "Also, I'd rather be a traitor than to be squashed under Nora. Sorry, Yang."

"That is _not _how you apologize! Arghh!" Yang literally exploded in angry flames as her eyes colored over completely into vivid red. On the other occasion it had been slightly alarming, but now Ruby could only feel sympathy for the young woman.

"Well, shall we go… somewhere until they call us for dinner?" Ruby pretended that she hadn't heard the blonde woman's outburst and began walking towards a random hallway.

"Haah… fine, I guess I'll tour you a bit on the interior of our home," Yang seemed to have given up on bursting her own artery, and caught up right beside Ruby. Then, she remembered something, "Hey, Ruby? You were talking about this Lost Altar's location, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I haven't seen Da pass you any maps or scrolls though. Or are you going to collect them after dinner?"

"What are you talking about? He has already given me the location," Ruby answered with a questioning frown on her face, but Yang only seemed to be more confused,

"Huh? But I don't remember the old fool giving you any pointers at all! Not even verbal ones!"

"Ah," Ruby suddenly realized what Yang was talking about, "I see what you mean. Actually, he just –"

Suddenly Ruby stopped talking, and her face was scrunched up in a weird frown as if listening to something, even though there wasn't anyone else around. It was after a good ten seconds before she finally glanced at the utterly confused Yang and said apologetically, "Sorry Yang, but I guess I can't tell you. It's best if you just forget about this."

"Wha – You can't just leave me hanging like that! Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Well, let's just say that I'd like to avoid trouble," Ruby patted a hand onto her friend's back sympathetically, a sentiment which the blonde woman seemed completely unable to share right now, "And I have been given warning not to actively seek for them. That is an advice that I am inclined to listen."

Yang growled menacingly even as she attained sudden enlightenment, and it was then Ruby realized that she really, really, _really_ needed to start lying better in the future. Or at the very least, learn how to sew her own mouth completely shut when the time called, "Oh. _Oh._ It's that old fool again, isn't it? I don't know how he did it but I _knew _he did it and you sure as hell don't need to listen to him, like, he's the shameless _pervert_ who almost _slept_ with your master! C'mon, big sis!"

_"… Yang…"_

It would seem that even if she doesn't try to find trouble, trouble just would not stop hounding her. For the rest of their little tour, Ruby could only listen with a grimace to the woman's non-stop complaints until finally, Lie Ren came to her rescue.


	3. Night of Partners, Infinite Regrets

**Author's Note: So Dezo Penguin mentioned about Yang's naming order, so I'll just clarify things a bit here. In Chinese, Yang Xiao Long would be read as '阳 小 龙****', which translates as Sunny Little Dragon. Since this follows the Eastern culture, her family name is Yang, and her first name would be Xiao Long. Obviously, between the Western and Eastern culture, and Yang's strange preference to use her family name as her call sign, it's going to be a bit jarring. I apologize if it's affecting the reading experience.**

**Note that I'm not actually 100% sure that her name does read this way; I've been roaming around the RWBY Wiki for a long time but I've never actually seen proof that someone from RT has confirmed her naming. If there's any reviewer who can clarify on this point I'd be infinitely grateful!**

**Onto the chapter. So we won't be seeing Yang until nearing the end, and an epic match was to be fought under the starry moonlight... Wait I don't actually remember depicting whether the night sky's clear or not. The woe! But who cares, onward we march!**

* * *

Shortly after dinner, the young girl was led by one of the servants to her bedroom facing southwards and away from the sun. Since it also came with an absolutely luxurious bathroom, the girl had spent a great deal of time melting herself in the warm waters of a silver bathtub before finally emerging nearly an hour later. As she put on her usual clothes and clipped her favorite red cloak back onto her shoulders, Ruby took a small twirl around the comfy space to admire the vastness of her temporary stay.

As expected, the Eastern style bedroom was decorated with various ornaments, trinkets and furniture that were arranged in a strange but structured manner. She had heard a little about _feng shui _from a seaman during her past travels, and even though the sailor's drunken speech was completely slurred and filled with nonsense, whatever small amount of information she had somehow gleaned matched with surprising accuracy the planning of the room. As per literally every room or hallway she had walked by, the walls were hung with many paintings of the living nature, animals, and people. It would seem that Mr. Yang had strong love for art, and Ruby imagined it not too surprising that some of these were painted by the man himself.

What truly drew her attention however, was the small fountain sculptured in the shape of a running waterfall placed just at the far corner of her bed. The servant had told her that Ruby may turn in off if she found the sound a little too distracting for sleep, but in contrast to his expectation, the young girl had found this to be absolutely perfect. Ruby had always been sleeping out in the open and wild during her time as an Executioner, for more often than not she would have to travel deep into the untamed lands of Remnant to hunt for Demons in hiding. As such, whenever she was forced to live in a confined space she would remember almost all too well a couple of battles that had taken place in small natural caves, ancient underground shelters and even abandoned Dust mines. The experience was at best claustrophobic. Until her master took her to the North – where the environment was too just cold without a roof to stay under and keep warm – she had never known what it was like to sleep in a real room; a real _home_. Thus, with exception to her master's comfy little cottage, Ruby had always found it hard to settle herself in any other closed area. It was fortunate that her current room was just large enough to settle her combat nerves, and the fountain would provide a strong enough illusion that should delude her mind into thinking that she was sleeping nearby a small river. She couldn't well squander her benefactors' goodwill after all.

_Tok tok._

Ruby frowned at the noise. She had hoped that the two presences lying in wait outside for the entire hour would get the message and go away, but obviously her wish was not be granted. With a final check of her battle garment and a gentle slap on Crescent Rose, the former Executioner steeled herself and went to open the door. She saw with no surprise at all a bowing Lie Ren and even Nora Valkyrie who both wore serious expressions of respect.

"I don't usually interfere with anyone else's business," Ruby said bluntly before her uninvited hosts could say anything, "My debt is to Mr. Yang Ju Long and him alone. I hope the both of you understand this before you start."

"We... understand. We are not hoping to burden you with any trouble," Ren said uncertainly. Ruby's uncanny foresight seemed to have unsettled the steady man, however little it might be, "It's just that the night is still early, and we have heard from Miss Yang about your prowess in battle. This might sound a little sudden, but it would be the greatest honor unto us if you would grant us a practice match... if it does not impede on your time of course."

This was a most extraordinary request from Lie Ren, for he had not looked the type who would actively seek physical conflict. While it was an attractive proposition, there must be something else he's after – no, something else _they're_ after; she must not overlook Nora no matter how air-headed she seemed – and even someone as inept at interpersonal relationship as Ruby could sense that. The memories of her first encounter with Yang trickled in, and the young girl was growing increasingly certain that this secret matter, whatever it may be, was nothing she wanted part of. Hence, if she was to truly exclude herself completely from the Yang family's troubles, she should just decline the request and leave at dawn break. That was what the old her definitely would've done.

And yet... and yet her own worthless life was saved by a rare and kind soul, who had done everything and more to bring her back in both body and spirit while asking nothing in return. She could never be as compassionate as Mrs. Amberson was, but if it's only for a little while, if she was just hearing them out, Ruby supposed that it couldn't do too much harm. She could always decline any future requests or 'suggestions' that might be brought up later. Short it might be her association with the Yang family, but as a benefactor and an ally, they deserved that much at least.

"You do know that I've just finished bathing, don't you?" Ruby said nonchalantly and waited as Lie Ren nodded doubtfully, pondered on the meaning, then realized with incredible fluster on the implications before Ruby finally smirked and continued on without a hitch, "But I guess a short duel is just fine. I could work off some spare energy before going to bed."

"Hurray! See, Ren? I told you it'll be alright!" Nora sent a hearty smack down onto the Lie Ren's back, earning herself a glare from the grimacing young man. In the end though, he simply smiled in resignation and held both his hands together in a salute of respect,

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Rose. We shall guide you to the training ground then."

"Before that," Ruby stopped the puzzled duo before they could start moving, "Could you just call me Ruby? Mr. Ju Long aside, you guys are the same age as Yang, so having you address me as Miss Rose is kinda… weird."

"Of course," Lie Ren replied quickly, "We can do that, Miss – I mean, Ruby."

Nora just grinned like she has never done before in her entire life and replied her affirmative, "Of course! Ruby! Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!"

_"Nora."_

It's funny how the same word could have a different effect when said by different people. One had addressed her name as if it was carved out of dragon bones, while the other rolled it over her tongue like an exciting new toy. Ruby could only smile wryly at the duo's antics as the party finally left towards their intended destination.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Master Ju Long was waiting for them when they exited the courtyard and arrived at the training grounds. If Master Ju Long was the perpetuator behind the invitation, then why hadn't they just say so from the beginning? Maybe he was also invited just like she did. Maybe he was to participate in the match as well! A shiver of excitement shot down her spine right then, even though she knew her tiny wish would very likely not be true. Taking the fact of Master Ju Long's experience and his past adventures with her mentor into account, she would be incredibly lucky if she even managed to tickle his sides. Deeply entrenched in her own vivid imagination, Ruby came very close to walk right past Master Ju Long without acknowledging his presence before she realized her folly and stopped at the last possible second. The young girl looked up and smiled vaguely at the calm-looking old man, then looked around for a certain blonde woman that would not have missed this for the world. Unbelievably though, said blonde was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Yang?" Ruby inquired Ju Long.

"I told the girl that she had had her fill this morning and locked her up in my room to do some work," the old man snorted at the thought, and Ruby could easily imagine how the blonde woman would be screaming bloody murder and thrashing things right now. She was surprised that he trusted Yang enough not to burn down the entire place.

"The mansion's fire proof," Ju Long apparently read her thoughts and replied without missing a heartbeat, "And while my daughter's lazy to a fault, she can work very well when chained with a leash. If only she would be slightly more responsible…"

Ruby hoped that he didn't mean some parts of his sentences literally, and was wise enough not to question further. She supposed that the blonde woman does necessitate some actual force to discipline. Wasting no more time at useless thought, the former Executioner began scanning the area and memorizing its features for the upcoming battle. First, the place was very huge. The earthen ground was a flat, evenly made surface four hundred meters diameter in length, with the perfectly square area marked by a solid white line on the ground. The four corners of the area were rooted with a long metal post each, and she guessed from past experience that they were conductors used to create four walls of Dust barriers designed to keep the combatants and stray projectiles within the designated battlefield. Lastly, there were many strange, indecipherable grey painted markings the size of a common football littered all over the place randomly with no comprehensible pattern whatsoever. After a moment of indecision, Ruby decided to voice out her doubts,

"Mr. Ju Long, what are those markings on the ground?"

Ju Long answered enigmatically and not without a hint of humor, "That is a good question, Miss Rose. However, I would prefer not to tell you what they are now, if only to allow my Guardians to have the slimmest of chance to win. I'm sure it will be an educative experience for you too."

_In other words it is a trap, but of what kind? _It was never a good feeling, walking down purposely into a live setup and fight enemies who knew how to use them to their advantage. If she was to assume the worst case scenario, these traps may be lethal bombs set to explode remotely or upon contact, and since they were scattered almost everywhere around the field escaping might not be as easy as she would like. This was starting to sound more like a chore than actually fun, but backing down from a fight was unfortunately way out of the question, on her pride and honor as an apprentice of the Rose. Ruby sighed a little even as she pulled out Crescent Rose from behind her waist and stepped into the ring. Nora and Ren have already finished warming up themselves and were waiting for her at the very center of the field.

As she was sauntering up to them, Ruby had the time to observe closely at her sparring partners' – _no, that mindset won't do; they are her _enemies – weapons. The young girl didn't exactly have the best look on them before, considering her direct view were mostly blocked by a hammer's head and Ren's blades were just out of sight. That was a pretty neat trick too, so she must assume that her enemies were capable of intelligent tactics. Lie Ren had a standard-sized pistol of leaf green on each hand, with a single curved blade extending down the lower end of the muzzle. They looked to be feather light, effective on all range, and generally an all-rounder kind of weapon. He was likely to be very mobile in combat. Nora, on the other hand, held the exact opposite type of Ren's weapon. The head of the war hammer slung lazily over Nora's shoulders was at least thrice as big as her own with an equally huge claw. No doubt her offensive strength must be insanely powerful. It also looked to be a fairly complex piece of weaponry, so she would not be surprised if it had an alternate form. All in all, Ren and Nora seemed to be the exact opposite kind of warriors, but if they match each other well then this little 'spar' may turn out to be quite the challenge.

Just shy of ten feet away from the duo, Ruby stopped her advance and held her crimson rifle loosely on one hand. Despite of her casual mannerism, they seemed to get the warning loud and clear and quickly readied themselves into practiced and wary stances. The young girl was not inclined to take the offensive – not yet – for the game would have ended all too quickly, and she could still remember the look of sheer disappointment reflected upon Yang's face this afternoon. So as Ruby heaved a single deep breath and settled her eyes calmly onto the two fighters, onto her _enemies_, she took a single step forwards and spoke aloud,

"Come."

The timing was perfect. A quarter of a second before she even finished her word, a green blur had cleared the ten feet distance instantly to sweep a murderous dagger across Ruby's throat. It was a beautiful strike indeed as the young girl nodded approvingly and nimbly angled her neck a hair's breadth backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow before letting her legs rush into play. The double blades had with ferocity and deadliness as they chased relentlessly at Ruby's elusive figure, aiming to cut and snarl and bite at even the barest scrap of skin. A slash for the knees, a stab at the finger, even a couple of Dust shots to the face hoping against hope to connect. The fact that these attacks were so wild, so unpredictable and even unexpectedly_ desperate_ that the terrible tornado that was Lie Ren actually managed to dull Ruby's movements for a while. This was _not _how she had expected him to fight at all!

But Ren was not the real threat. Within seconds of their engagement, the clanking, screeching sounds of metal informed Ruby that Nora Valkyrie had switched her war hammer into a different form, a new form of threat that she was not able to even _see _because of the duo's near perfect movements. Lie Ren was constantly blocking in front of her no matter how she tried to maneuver, with Nora mirroring his movements from behind with near perfection. This was almost an impossible maneuver to pull even if the partners had known each other inside out and practiced for years – it only goes to show how terrifying talented these two warriors were. But admiration could wait later. Ruby understood that whatever the woman was trying to do, it was going to happen fast, and in fact it was happening the exact moment she had this thought when two loud booms shattered the sound barrier and won her disbelief. Of course, what else would the woman use if not a freaking _grenade launcher?_

Lie Ren was far from fazed. He threw out two more quick slashes to stall her before leaping nimbly into the air at the last possible second, his movements so fluid and natural it's as if he had been shot by explosives from the back his entire life. Hell, that might even actually be true. Running on a head of pure coolness, Ruby flung herself sideways quick as lightning before the pink balls struck ground and detonated on impact with explosive destruction. The massive shockwave however still sent her tumbling a couple of times over the floor before she pushed herself upwards with a forceful stretch of limbs, narrowly avoiding again a vicious stab to the stomach as the green blur reappeared from above like a hawk hunting its prey. Excitement and adrenaline flushed through her veins, and at this point Ruby simply could not suppress a mad grin of delight. This was but the opening act to the entire show, and already the duo had far exceeded her expectations. Perhaps if she had given the chance Yang might be able to give her the same wonderment, but deep down Ruby knew that even at her best, even if Yang may surpassed them both individually, she would not be able to provide the same thrill and challenge as this legendary _combi _did. Ruby finally understood why Ju Long forbade Yang from joining them in the training grounds. The eager fighter would never be able to suppress her excitement, and truly, the last thing Ruby wanted now was an unnecessary interruption to this absolutely wondrous duel.

But enough of sentiments, this was a moment of action and momentum. Believing it a good time to take the offensive, Ruby ran speedily sideways with her rifle cocked and abruptly took to the heavens above, red cloak streaking easily fifty feet across the night sky before whispering, "Here I go," In a split second, she pulled the beloved trigger of her steel seven times in a row to send an equal amount of bullets hailing down onto the duo, and so rapid was the discharge that the gunfire sounded like a drawn out, thunderous melody. Note that her rifle was completely manual, and still this remained as one of her favorite opening move if only for its sheer difficulty. It puts her in the good mood of murder. As expected though, accuracy was traded off for inhuman speed and only five out of seven shots had a real chance of hitting the opponents. That usually was enough to catch her opponents flailing to the ground in bloody splatter.

Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie thwarted them all. Caught off guard by her movements and the bulky rifle's stunning performance, they nevertheless weaved past the short hail with ease as Nora even attempted in failure to slam some of the bullets accurately right back at her. Ruby eyes darted left and right at two such return serves sailing past a good two feet away harmlessly, and rated the attempt a hopeful five – given a year or two, the crazy woman might even be able to hit it consistently and on target. By now gravity has finally caught up with the red dressed girl, and she felt the gentle tugging of an imminent plummet. Carefully bending her arms and Crescent Rose to curve perpendicularly away from her body, Ruby began twirling once, twice, and then literally spinning herself into a tornado of steel and she dove like an unstoppable crusher towards the dumbfounded duo. This was an execution maneuver built with every intent to kill, so she couldn't actually guarantee their safety if they don't attempt a counter or dodge out of the way. Perhaps she should have saved this destructive move.

But Ruby's worries were unfounded. Not only the duo stood their ground and perfectly measured her attack radius, moving out of the way only at the last possible second with barely an arm's distance to spare, they had also ignored the sudden eruption of earth and soot completely to take advantage of her momentary immobility. Had Ruby been one year younger, had she not practiced this high level maneuver literally for the past month to get her recovering body up to speed, they might have forced out her Semblance there and then. However, Ruby's body now was just developed and strong enough to handle the absurd stress, and so without spending more than half a second to recover her bearings, Ruby swung the body of her rifle fluidly with sinister quickness for Ren's head. As the young man held his dual pistols staunchly to absorb the blow, he was naturally surprised to find it as heavy as Nora's swing of a hammer, and was flung right back from where he charged in a most ungraceful fall. By then Nora had run right up to cover for Ren and with a most vicious grin, swayed the gigantic hammer directly towards Ruby's torso. So _this _is how it _really _feels to get 'slapped' by a frigging hundred kilograms hammer, or at least about to. She would do well to remember this pressure. Never had anyone been more surprised than Nora when Ruby threw her entire weight forwards to thrust at the incoming head and actually _stopping _it in mid-air. As the orange-haired woman stared at Ruby in utter disbelief, the latter simply smirked and whispered provocatively, "Can't beat a little girl?"

Being the skillful tactician, Ren realized almost instantly the ploy and screamed out frantically, "Nora! _Don't!_" His desperate warning however, was already too late as the woman flew into a flying rage and began swinging death like a madman. Each splatter was powerful enough to splatter five times the soft flesh of Ruby Rose, and each screech held twice as much the blind rage of a full-blooded berserker. But despite throwing everything she has at the still smirking little girl, Nora simply could not break through Ruby's impenetrable defenses, and the more she grew frustrated, the worse the battle turned out until finally, for the first in a very long time, her arms grew too tired to strike and wavered for a second. That was all the opening Ruby needed to dive deep into her embrace, grin a row of white teeth, and slam the butt end of her rifle from directly below Nora's chin. The mad Guardian of Yang tried rising once, twice, before finally she tumbled past Ruby's shoulders and fainted unceremoniously towards the ground.

Ruby turned around to grin at the remaining warrior, and was rewarded with an obvious shiver down the young man's spine. She knew that he knew how she had repelled Nora's powerful strikes as if she was an equal to Nora's strength: She first used the entire weight of her body to perform a perfect full to gain highest possible burst of momentous energy. Then, she struck out to match Nora's blows just before the woman could perform a full swing of her weapon, thus negating a majority of her explosive strength before it ever got a chance to blossom properly. As soon as her provocation worked, she began to perform the same maneuver over and over with magnificent precision except this time she relied on Nora's continuous swings to bolster her own momentum. By allowing the beginning blow to repel her backwards, the young girl borrowed the energy to complete a full spin and counterattacked right back with a thrust, thus forcing Nora to strike at exactly where she wanted the hammer to be. As the girl spun back and forth faster and faster, forcing the rage-blinded Nora to keep up even though _she_ was the one who was supposedly leading the attack, the fight was already over.

"You should've used the trap earlier, whatever it is. You might have a chance," Ruby said with a smile as she walked slowly towards Ren; even stepping over some of the trap markings as arrogantly as a tyrannous queen. The latter did not panic however, and even faced her with a depth of calmness that could only be impressive,

"Perhaps I should. But we've decided to activate it only when absolutely necessary, for this was ultimately an honorable duel. Forgive me, for I have decided the moment to use it is now."

Ruby laughed gaily, her blood pumped full with adrenaline and pleasure, "_Aha!_ You're giving me warning? That's very bold of you, Ren. Go ahead then, I'd like to see exactly how you plan to entertain me."

Chains of ethereal glowing white materialized into existence right then, for once again Ren had acted before she could finish her sentences. The young man may be respectful and polite, but he sure as hell was one dirty fighter. Ruby could only grin wryly as hundreds of Dust-formed chains erupted from all around her, but at the same time she could not help but give a sigh of disappointment. She had been dreaming of spikes, bombs, even ethereal minions that could circumvent physical attacks. _Binds_, she thought with no small amount of disdain, _these are things I've been playing around with since five! _As soon as her monologue was done, the slithering masses of glowing white sailed at once towards her like spears and at such explosive speed that were almost as quick as bullets. Almost was still _too slow_ however, and due to the sheer amount of chains Lie Ren himself could not dash in and perform a pincer attack. After that magnificent fight before this was almost too poorly planned to be true, and with a small yawn Ruby raised Crescent Rose and repeatedly squeezed the trigger. She would destroy every single one of these chains just to show how pathetic they were –

Abruptly Ruby realized that she has been fooled far too late. Her Dust bullets dissolved like they're made out of air upon contact with the chains, and by the time Ruby tried dodging for the skies a couple of those slithering bastards has already caught on to her legs, and pulled her right down in a painful crash. Within seconds her entire body became completely bound and hung upright, and even Crescent Rose was no exception although she still has it in hand. A terrible oversight in Ruby's opinion, but then again it was not like her rifle could be of much help now, considering that the Dusts inside it must have all been absorbed by this strange trap. Ruby smacked herself mentally in the head for letting the arrogance flooding her judgment completely; she would _really _be a pinch if Ren followed up with a quick dagger now –

Her heart thumped madly. Before she knew it the young man had skidded to a halt just barely a foot away from her, and so fast was his movements that she nearly missed him from the corner of her eyes. He must've been hiding his real speed! However, what surprised Ruby even more was that Ren was completely barehanded with his right arm pulled backwards as if to deliver a punch – no wait, a _palm strike?_ Was the guy stupid? The chains do not absorb Aura, and if she were to utilize her full strength that strike wouldn't even hurt the slightest bit. Hell, she might as well just take the blow and kick his head later in return, and when the blow finally came she –

* * *

Abruptly, Lie Ren's view became completely showered by red, and for a moment he thought that the former Executioner must have slit open his eyes or something. But there was no pain at all, and soon he realized with a start that what he saw was a sea of tiny reds scattering all over the night sky, and as if mesmerized he tried grabbing a clump only to see them dissolve into nothingness. These are red… petals?

Abruptly he felt a bump at the top of his head, and the young man quickly spun around to see Ruby Rose smiling widely and her wicked red rifle hovering right above his head, "Checkmate. That was a really, really good surprise there though, Ren. You forced out my Semblance! I am thoroughly impressed and very ashamed at my own arrogance. Well played!"

"We still lost," Lie Ren said mildly, feeling slightly dejected but even more euphoria. Short and one-sided it may be, this was still the greatest and most thrilling battle he has ever experienced in his entire life, "But I digress. Thank you, Miss – I mean Ruby, for honoring us with such a magnificent duel. We shall not ever forget about it."

"_Ahaha!_ The same goes to me, Ren! And make sure you tell Nora that when she wakes up!" Ruby laughed happily as she holstered her rifle, with Master Ju Long arriving right on cue and asked with a cool smile, "So, Miss Rose. Are you satisfied with the spar tonight? Or was it still too thin for your tastes?"

"Oh c'mon, please don't make fun of me already, Master Ju Long! I'm sorry okay?" Ruby turned red in the face, and before the old man could tease her any longer she hastily called for a tactical retreat, "Anyway, I'm all sweaty from the exercise so I'm going back to my room for another shower. See you guys soon!"

And just like that, the young girl sped away like an arrow and utterly vanished around a corner. That she had run faster than any moment during the duel was a both source of great admiration and exasperation for Lie Ren – just how much was she holding back during that short duel? Was her strength truly as bottomless as it seemed?

"So, Lie Ren. Was this fight satisfying for you?" Yang Ju Long addressed the young man with a kindly and somewhat excited voice as Ren quickly bowed his head and answered,

"Yes, Master Yang. This has been most educative, and it was the greatest honor of my life to fight Miss Rose in a duel."

"True, true. But more to the point, did you manage to connect the final palm strike?"

Ren stiffened at the question. This has been the sole reason he had sought out Ruby Rose for a duel. Master Yang, for whatever reason, had suddenly declared a 'test' for him to land a Qi Strike onto Ruby Rose, and that he was also allowed to bring Nora along and use the training field. Now that he had a glimpse of Ruby Rose's true strength and knew that the variables weren't nearly enough to tip the odds, in the end he still detested ganging up on a single combatant _and _employing traps in honorable combat. But a test was still a test, and it was against Ren's nature to forfeit without giving his all, "I… believe so. The strike was shallow, but it had definitely connected before she used her Semblance."

The conversation stopped right then. For a long while Master Yang said nothing at all, and he continued to stare blankly at Ren with a weird glow in his eyes until finally, the old man spoke, "Hahaha! Alright, alright, you passed the test. I suppose I should go back to my room now, lest that useless daughter of mine becomes too frustrated and actually burned the documents," Mr. Ju Long gave one last laugh before retreating back to his chambers. The young man sighed in his mind a secret relief before Ju Long suddenly spoke up again with his back still facing towards Ren,

"Speaking of which, I'd like to see you and Nora at the gathering hall tomorrow morning, eleven a.m. sharp. Try to keep the girl from oversleeping again, eh?"

There was Master Yang's usual voice again, and Lie Ren replied with no small amount of respite upon hearing its normalcy, "Yes, Master Yang. Have a good night."

"You too, Ren," Master Yang said with almost a hint of odd sadness, "I wish the both of you a good night's dream."

With those enigmatic words, the old man finally vanished around a tight corner and presumably went back to his study room, leaving Lie Ren pondering with no small amount of strange doubt and anxiety, and Nora snoring away to the heavens with peaceful obliviousness.

* * *

It was eight in the morning, and Ruby Rose already had her backpack slung to her shoulders with one final check over her room to make sure she didn't miss anything. She had slept surprisingly well last night, though much of it was definitely thanks to the duel Nora and Ren had graced her with. She was definitely eager to fight them again in the future, and when that time comes, she would definitely not be as careless as before. Once everything was confirmed to be in place, the young girl exited her room and went straight out of the main entrance and towards the front gate. There would be no need to exit through the secret passage this time around; she has no intentions of coming back for a very long time, and only a fool would try to threaten the family with Yang Ju Long around.

Not to her surprise, she saw Yang Xiao Long leaning against a wall at the gate and waiting, her magnificent golden hair swaying softly along the wind. The blonde woman gave her a hand wave, and with an audible but not unkind sigh, Ruby strode up easily to the blonde and smiled, "Good morning. So how was your night, Yang?"

Said brawler shot her a resigned look before sighing good-naturedly, "Work. Need I say more? Actually, I _don't _want to say more even if you ask. But enough about me," Yang looked to the clear blue sky with hands placed behind her head, "What is your next destination? While I know that you're in a hurry, you have to resupply once in a while."

Ruby pondered for a while, "That depends; I usually try _not _to stop at any settlements if I can help it. Your father is kind enough to fully replenish my ammos for a cheap fee, so I won't have to worry about that for at least two months. Since I have no need for shelter and heading northwest, there is _supposedly _enough grassland that food and water should not be much of a problem…"

Yang surrendered quickly at the beginning signs of a recital and flung her hands outwards, laughing, "Okay, okay, I get it. Well, I'm sure you'll be fine, big sis. You are crazy strong after all; I doubt there are many things in this world that could stop you."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm still very –" The comment struck Ruby as slightly strange, but one look at Yang's uncharacteristically downcast expression told her everything. She asked carefully, "You… saw our duel last night, didn't you?"

The corner of Yang's lips pulled up a little as she admitted freely, "Yeah. Would you believe that one of Da had a small, circular window that just _happened_ to be facing the training grounds? No wonder the old fool always knew about my new tricks, that cheating bastard. Damn thing was pretty well hidden behind a cupboard too, but I was desperate to see even when I wasn't allowed to go, and before I knew it I was looking at you guys…" the blonde woman bit her lips with fists clenched so tight that her skin faded away to white, "Honestly? I want to have another go with you right now, big sis, I really do. But after last night, I understand more than anything that I could never give you _or _me anything close to that duel right now. I am _weak_, and I acknowledge that."

Ruby bit her lips and cursed herself. She was the person responsible for Yang's current distress, and for some reason the guilt did not sit well with her at all, "Yang… that is no one's fault. It is _okay _to be weak; that isn't the most important thing. It never was. And besides, even I had such a dream once… a dream to live a normal life."

"Maybe, big sis. It all depends on what you mean by a 'normal' life, I guess," Yang stared to the ground, and once again Ruby was struck by the realization that Yang migh _not _love her current lifestyle. Even though she knew Yang for just a little more than a day, she understood that the woman was a free soul who was not afraid of anyone or any rules but her own. Yet even such a person was bound by her love and responsibility for her family, and they were chains of sentiment and burden that she may never be able to break free. Ruby recognized almost too grimly that despite her rebellious antics, Yang Xiao Long would probably never have the resolution to leave her home and pursue her true destiny. It was as ironic as it was sad.

"… Say, is travelling really all that fun? I've heard some great things from wandering peddlers, you know, even though some of them are just utter liars," Yang started suddenly.

"Fun? I've never actually thought about that. For one, I have to avoid people at all times because of my old job; you never know if anyone of them is an informer. Travelling by foot is the best for anonymity even if it's slow, and I never stick to any roads for the same reason. Many times I even have to climb down sheer cliffs –"

"Uhhh, okay, I think that's more than I want to hear for now," Yang interrupted her before the young girl shattered her dreams of glorious adventure completely, "My question is… do you think I could've made the cut? You know, running out about the world and seeing new things… maybe even traveling together with you."

Ruby's eyes widened at the final statement as she stared directly at Yang, the latter's pretend smile fooling no one at the seriousness of her question. No one has ever asked Ruby that question in her entire life, and she was too fixated on her objectives in the past anyway to even entertain the ridiculous notion. After a full minute of soul searching, in the end the young girl discovered that she had no answer at all. The concept was just too foreign for her.

But Yang was still waiting, and her violet eyes shone only the pure light of sincerity.

"I don't know," Ruby averted her eyes and looked away, unable to meet her blonde friend – _is she a friend now? Maybe she is, maybe she really is _– face-to-face, "You're plenty tough actually, despite what you may think. You're also charismatic and smart enough to get what you want from people, though I guess that stupidity of yours is going to cost you a lot. Your hair and attire in general are a problem too; those… _assets _would stick out even in the middle of the thickest crowd. Way too much visibility in my opinion, and that's definitely something I don't need in my travels."

"I… see," Yang drooped her head to the ground and kicked at a random small pebble by her feet. It didn't fly far, "I guess I'm just… not good enough then. I'm –"

"But!" Ruby interjected suddenly, freezing the woman altogether with her sudden outburst. It was difficult, but Ruby looked back and faced Yang with determination and a heartfelt smile, "But I don't think I'll mind having an extra companion. Everything I said was just speculation, and while I do think it's going to be a lot of trouble, not to mention I don't have as much time as I'd like – but yes… I don't think I'll mind."

Yang stood frozen like a statue for a second, then another. A strong wind swept past their cheeks, and finally the blonde woman snapped out of her reverie. She then broke out in the brightest smile Ruby has ever seen in her life.

"Thank you, Ruby. Even if those dreams will never come true, but truly – _thank you_."

Ruby pretended that she didn't see the tears; pretended that she didn't hear the muffled sobs as Yang turned away to hide her face and trembled uncontrollably. The young traveler hardened her own heart into steel and faced the streets. She could not save Yang Xiao Long from her eternal cage, and she did not have the time even if she had the will. So it was time to go. Ruby Rose strode forwards without once looking back.

"Don't mention it – and be careful."


	4. Calm Before The Storm

**Author's Notes: I'm guessing that this is the shortest chapter out of all the chunks I'm going to post in the future. Originally I didn't even separate them by chapters and just write, write, write until I reached the closure of a segment, then start the next one. For a while it really felt like it wouldn't end.**

**Although I wasn't really afraid that would be the case. I have a lot of passion for RWBY right now, and there seriously is no better chance than now to write the story I want to write. Seriously, don't wait until your passion has faded - when that moment arrives, it doesn't matter how good your skills are, the story is going to read as if it's missing a soul.**

**So, we've finally arrived at Yang's PoV, and I hope that I had managed to convey the emotions properly. Usually I try to write these in total silence so my thoughts would not be interrupted by random thoughts, but this is one moment I wished I had just seen an epic anime or book or Visual Novel or any materials that could stimulate my mind. At least I'd have that silly confidence that all is well with my chapter and that the readers' emotions will flare like a million rockets. Kinda.**

**I forgot to mention this, but Ruby is the main protagonist for the entire epic novel series, which is why even in the other Arcs we're going to see from her PoV a lot. I don't actually believe that she'll play a 'Chosen One' role in the canon RWBY series, if only because it was stated clearly in 'This Will Be The Day' that the tradition was going to be broken once and for all. On the other hand, we have a fifteen years old girl with all the potential in the world wielding a goddamn Sniper Scythe.**

**So yes, I was annoyed they didn't keep to Ruby's Red Trailer personality. Yes, I had imagined Yang actually being the 'younger' sister between the two. This story has been steaming in my head since then, started and discarded too many times to count both in my head and paper and screen until a month ago, when Volume 1 finally ended, when NaNoWriMo 2013 was announced, I finally found the novel opening I desperately wanted.**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

That was it. That was perhaps the very last time she was going to see big sis, perhaps even her final chance at a life _she _chose for herself, gone and lost forever. Ruby Rose's appearance in this city had been an enigmatic and strange phenomenon; a tiny, supposedly insignificant ripple in Jiu Xu that had somehow caused a massive sway in her perspective of life. Even though Yang had only known the girl for just slightly more than a day, Ruby's departure had felt like someone had dug a huge, gaping hole inside her heart, a singular kind of pain and sadness that she had only suffered twice before in her entire life. She was supposed to be content; she was supposed to be satisfied, and yet all the brawler could think of was the bottomless sense of loss that opened up from underneath her feet and threatened to sink her forever. It was a feeling that Yang was utterly helpless to change, and it would take a long while before time would diminish all the emotions and memories regardless of her will. The stark realization only made her even unhappier.

Yang Xiao Long stormed her way towards the training grounds, very determined to work off some of the stress that's absolutely wrecking her mood. Then, recalling the wondrous duel from yesterday and the fact that she was _not _part of it pissed her off even more, as the blonde woman turned 180 degrees halfway to stride angrily for her room. That's it! Yang Xiao Long decided right then that she would brood. Oh, she would brood in solitary and rage as she always did when feeling terribly unhappy until all the stress in her head eventually worked its way out of the system. Of course, that usually took days to happen or until Da dragged her out to the grounds and smack her senseless, and honestly now that she's seventeen she would_ really _like to avoid getting her ass spanked in public but seriously _fuck. It. All. _She doesn't give a _shit _about _anything _any longer!

It was with those thoughts that she stomped like a bull towards her bedroom. Those terrible sentiments would last no more than five seconds before she overheard a pair of servants whispering right around the hidden right corner of her room.

"Hey Da Yin, did you hear about the news? One of our guys got killed again this morning!"

"What, _again?_ How?"

"No bombs this time, but apparently the poor guy was shot right through the head! Luckily, everyone's already on edge since that bombing a few weeks ago and they got out quickly enough."

"Holy shit, that was –"

"Hey."

The two chatting servants turned around to see their mistress looming over them with bloody red eyes and simmering gold flickering about her hair like wild fire. Yang grabbed hold of the man's collar who was spouting all the terrible news – Fu Xing, was it? Well his stars today was definitely anything _but_ lucky alright – and very nearly snarled flames from her mouth,

_"Where did this happen? Tell me now!"_

* * *

Yang took a peek from beneath the manhole, saw no one and deftly climbed herself out of the stinking place. While the location of the incident wasn't so far or secretive that it warranted the use of the sewers, but right now the blonde woman preferred speed and discretion before anything. Considering that the outer streets would be swarmed by cops and curious bystanders, she _really _did not want to deal with either parties right now. The attacked hideout was northeast to her mansion and just ten kilometers away. It was an old and rundown apartment that was abandoned many years ago, and since the place was built away from the main streets and facing the back alley, no one could be bothered to renovate or use a building that has zero investment value at all.

On the other hand, it made a perfect location for delinquents, drug addicts, homeless, scavengers and in general the acknowledged 'scum' of the society to dwell in. For a while this was even a nest for foxy prostitutes to hang about and attract their shady customers until the Yang clan suddenly arrived at this place one year ago and claimed the entire area as one of their hideouts. While they do not forbid anyone but their direct enemies from using the building, everything from the fifth floor and above was strictly forbidden from entry. Thus it was business as usual for most of the frequenters except for those who ignored the Yang clan's laws. The minor cases broke legs, and a couple of major ones later everyone learned that infringing upon their landlord's territory and rules meant a suffering worse than hell itself. For a while, the small and unruly community of lawless actually lived almost peacefully.

But today, something extraordinary happened. Today, someone was killed in this building on broad daylight. Today, a faithful, loyal warrior of the Yang family was _murdered_ for a reason yet no one could fathom, and whoever this son of a bitch was who dared laid their filthy hands of _her _territory and _her _men was going to _burn alive _until she's gotten some real answers out of them, and then some more. Yang carefully kept her simmering fury in check as she glanced an annoyed look at the yellow tapings wrapped over the back entrances, and opted to slip through a smaller but open window hidden just behind a thick bush. A carnival was bombastic, but this was not such an occasion. Just in case, Yang made sure that her shotgun gauntlets were fully loaded and zigzagged her stride towards a chosen direction at all times. The culprit should've been long gone by now, but just in case, she did not want the mysterious enemy to get a clean shot at her.

Yang saw no one as she ascended the first few floors of the building, though it wasn't out of her expectations. Despite the incompetency of the Jiu Xu's central police force their taping skills remained sharp as ever, and no criminal in their right mind would come back to the place where a Yang clan member has been openly shot and killed. She gritted her teeth and attempted to dispel the thought. One more floor and she would arrive at the crime scene, and Yang's stomach lurched uneasily even though she knew the body would've been gone and moved to the morgue by now. The blonde woman has never been comfortable dealing with death itself, be it family or friends or strangers or even enemies. There was a reason why she chose to handcraft a customized battle gauntlet instead of something more lethal – you can do just as much bloody violence with the two fists, but you won't accidentally kill someone due to a stupid mistake. Not to mention that she had enough of _that one's _lecture in the past to turn even the most psychotic murderer into a devout vegan priest. She _wasn't _averse to excessive violence however, and it was with such mix of resolve and doubt that she climbed the final fifth floor, hoping against hope that the murderer might be stupid enough to come back –

"Freeze."

Yang froze, but it was neither out of fear nor surprise. She was trying to make sense of the somewhat familiar voice when her mind finally clicked. The blonde woman turned with a vicious grin to face the open room at her left, and there stood an inspector she knew most intimately in an antagonistic way.

"Sir Falcon. To what do I owe the pleasure of your gun scope?"

Yang looked straight into the eyes of the young-looking but unkempt police officer of Jiu Xu. He was a man about thirty years of age, but looked young enough to be twenty. One of the reasons was because he kept a cleanly shaved chin, which Yang had made fun more than once during any one of their shootout encounters. When the taunts finally got to him, he started wearing his clothes unclean and rumpled despite his assistant's constant complains, and hanged limply at the edge of his mouth a cigarette that he doesn't actually smoke. Yang could still remember the day when he appeared before in his new appearance while she was roughing up a disobedient pub, and she had laughed so hard with hysterical tears leaking out of her eyes that she came too close to being caught. To this day Yang still found it hard to believe that anyone would hire such an idiotic-looking man, much less _promote _him to inspector level even though she had a direct hand in the matter. That was a story to be told another time.

But he was undeniably brilliant. In fact, he was probably the _only _competent cop in the entire city, since her Da had a forty years head start to make sure the police force stayed that way. Somehow though this strange man had managed to sneak his way into the police ranks, and ever since the Yang clan had been annoyed again and again by his constant meddling and unbelievable foresight. It's not as if they hadn't tried to oust him out through politics or violence too, but Falcon always managed to wiggle his way out through the smallest loopholes and his assistant was also an extremely capable bodyguard. Eventually Yang was sent out to deal with him, and the game of cat and mouse has continued until this very day. It would not be an exaggeration to call him her nemesis: The blonde woman honestly could not find anyone else anyway who would dare crack a goddamn fire extinguisher behind her head during one such games – though she did send him to the hospital for two months of broken ribs. Oh, and the guy's also like a bloody ghost. She was never able to sense his presence even though he wasn't an Aura warrior.

"To start with, I could say that you're a sloppy murderer who came back to cover your tracks," Falcon said while keeping his tone cool and emotionless. Yang simply laughed at the accusation and jabbed right back,

"Well, in that case that murderer might be _you _as well, inspector, since you're here before me. But cut the jokes, I'm not in the mood to play today, so you get out of my way, and I'll get out of yours."

Yang tried moving right then, but before she knew it there was the loud bang of a gunshot, and in pure reflex she dodged downwards just in time to see a bullet pierced itself at the wall where her head was a millisecond ago. That was _completely _unexpected. The blonde woman glared at Falcon in absolute fury and disbelief, "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing? Have you gone crazy?"

"That's my line, Yang," The inspector's gun never left the general vicinity of her torso, and she only needed to see his eyes to understand that the policeman was indeed very, _very _serious and would not hesitate to make a second shot, "I thought you a delinquent, a psycho and an idiot, but I did not think that you would actually murder a man; your own people no less."

Yang stared at him incredulously before throwing up her hands furiously, not even caring if the sudden movement might cost her another shot, "Seriously? For three years we've known each other, and you believe _me_, out of _all people_, would harm my own _family_?"

But Falcon ignored her outburst completely and said, "Ten minutes ago, I have received an anonymous tip. It says that the suspect is coming back to the building to clear out evidences she accidentally left behind."

Yang waved her hand repeatedly over her face as if to fan out an unmistakable stink, "Right, sure. So someone caught wind of me coming and laid down a petty trick. You falling for it?"

"Before that, I also found a peculiar bullet casing on the floor. Concentrated red Dust, orange shell, specially made to fit one and only one person in this city," Before Yang could continue her sarcastic lecture, Falcon snaked out an object from his pocket with a free left hand – gun still infuriatingly steadied dead center at her chest – and almost immediately she recognized it to be her own. However, that wasn't the part that surprised her, and Falcon quickly pointed it out, "If this was an empty casing I would've thrown it out the window already, but as you can see this is unused and I find it highly unlikely that you would misplace a bullet. Do you think someone could've stolen one from you?"

That would happen only when hell freezes all over, and they both knew it, "… Well, I guess that is a bit strange," Yang admitted reluctantly. She had an undying love for her equipment and she had singlehandedly designed Ember Celica – the name of her Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets (DRSG) – all by herself. Nowadays she left the bullet melding to her direct suppliers, but the bullets she personally created had an unmistakable and unique burn mark set at the round edge of the casings, and the one Falcon held between his fingers has exactly that. This meant the thief must've either pickpocketed it from her waist, or stolen it right out from the weapon's supply metal safe inside her own room. The notion was about as insane as pigs can fly; it was no wonder Falcon suspected her so strongly.

"Look Falcon," she raised both her arms upwards just to show that she meant no harm, "I know this doesn't exactly reflect well on me, but you know that I'm an honest woman – okay, _fine_. So I fool around once in a while, but you have to trust me when I say this – I don't do things that I won't freely admit. That is _not _my style. If I'm ever going to kill someone, I'm going to do it in public, under the sun and with the fucker completely burned in steamy, yellow flames. You get what I'm talking about?"

"I'm sure you know this, but recently there have been rumors about minor clans rising against your family," again Falcon brushed away her words as if he didn't hear them, and began another statement of his own. That obnoxious attitude of his was one reason why they would never get along, "The bombing afterwards was apparently a result of that. Tell me, Yang: how fares the investigation of the matter from your side?"

Under any normal circumstances, the blonde woman would never have revealed any internal information to the authorities. However, if she does not clear her name right now Falcon was very likely going to report her as a prime suspect, and whoever came up with this terrible scheme would get exactly what they wanted. It's really a fucking shame she had the luck to find the one cop she could not bribe off in the entire city – or perhaps that was precisely what this mysterious mastermind had planned. Just who was this fucker? And what the hell do they want to achieve by incriminating _her?_

But she didn't have much time to think; certainly not long enough until Falcon made a snap decision of his own, and she had learned from experience that they turn out to be super bad. In the end, she decided that the circumstances called for extraordinary measures – not that she actually had any useful leads in the first place – and said, "We found nothing at all. You can disbelieve all you want, we found absolutely no traces of the culprit or anything that could point a finger."

"I see. I didn't actually think that my assumptions could be right, but If I was to believe you then…" Falcon replied in a most chilling tone, and Yang had a feeling that whatever that's going to happen next was not going to be pleasant. But contrary to her expectations the inspector's eyes softened for just a fraction and he actually dropped his Dust pistol and put it back to the holster. Yang heaved a long sigh of relief and slumped against the wall while feeling an extraordinary amount of exhaustion even though it was barely ten in the morning.

"Glad you finally understand I'm not a freaking murderer. Now then, can I go please? I doubt there's anything I could find that you haven't found anyway."

Falcon shook his head firmly as those black eyes suddenly hardened into steel once more, "You are still a prime suspect, Yang Xiao Long. Right now the evidence – little as it is – is set directly against you. I'm letting you go, but that's only because there's something I need you to check."

"My dear Falcon, you know I don't help cops. I especially detest spying against my own family," Yang replied bluntly.

But Inspector Falcon shook his head, and his expression was a warp of sadness that she did not understand. The unexpectedly forlorn look sent a chill down Yang's spine, but even with that warning she would never have expected the words that came out of his mouth immediately after,

"Your loyalty is commendable, and I actually believe that you're innocent in this particular case. But it's about time you see the truth. You're a smart woman, Yang; you must've already realized it deep down inside your heart."

"What are you talking about?" Yang demanded angrily.

"I'm saying that the Yang clan is playing their own drama. I'm saying that the Yang clan is killing their own people," Falcon's words was as shocking as it was terrible, and the impossible truth actually sent her senses tumbling into a terrible vertigo, "You have a _traitor _in your midst, Yang Xiao Long, and I suggest you find them out now, and fast."

Then everything blew up in fire and pain, and the world Yang came to know fell into a pure, black hell.

* * *

When Yang woke up, the fires were still burning ferociously around her. How long was she out? Seconds, minutes, maybe even an hour? Her head was splitting apart with intense pain and her right wrist felt either broken or dislocated. She couldn't be bothered to check and in her completely disoriented state. What she _did _know however, was that someone out of their fucking minds had set a fucking bomb in the fucking room, and if she hadn't instinctively enveloped herself in Aura flames she might've died right there and then. In fact, the explosion had been so strong she was surprised the building hasn't collapsed yet –

Abruptly her already pale and shaken features were drained of all colors, and Yang cried out and crawled unsteadily towards the only other person in this floor. Lying just a few feet away from her was the inspector who was completely without Aura protection, "Falcon!"

He seemed to be completely unconscious, and naturally did not provide any semblance of a reply. The man was in no state to speak even if he could as Yang took note grimly of the multiple terrible burns all over his body and his unsightly jacket seemingly completely charred and black with soot. It was magic that he managed to hold on to that stupid cigarette. As soon as she got close, Yang immediately ripped away the now useless jacket just in case, and while her limbs were still shaking mad the young woman quickly slung his arm over her shoulders and stood up carefully. Suddenly a sharp pain shot upwards from her right ankle, and as she steadied herself Yang came a tad bit too close into tumbling downwards at a rippling patch of flames. It seemed that her bones down there were broken as well, and even with her Aura it would take quite some time before they could heal completely. Yang gritted her teeth in determination and began descending down the floors at a painfully slow one step at a time. As much as she wanted to rush things – especially when the building could potentially collapse on them any time soon – her injuries and burden were simply too much to push herself any further than the current pace.

_"– _Bzzcrack_ – explosions – backup! Help –"_

Around the crackling concrete steps of the third floor, she heard the static crackling of a radio and accidentally fell a few steps down the stairs in surprise. Suppressing a string of curses just dancing at the edges of her lips, Yang steadied herself with a shoulder to the wall and glanced sideways at the waist of the man she was carrying. Miraculously, the bastard's walkie-talkie seemed to be working despite having rolled through the massive explosion earlier despite being in a bad enough shape that only static and broken words made it through. However, Yang was grateful for the distraction, if only to temporarily forget the aches and pain of her body and the ever looming threat of being crushed to death. So she listened.

_"– Damn explosions – _Bzz – _everywhere! The fuck is going on BOOM –"_

She listened.

_"_Crraackkk – _Unit 103 r-reporting, Residential District 20 and 21 is… the… the entire fucking place is just _gone_ –"_

She listened.

_"What the _fuck _is this shit!? Who _Crrraccckkkkkk – _Paul? Paul! Don't you fucking die on me! Don't you BOOM BOOC_rrraaaaackkkkk –_"_

This cannot be true. Why is she listening to this? This is such bullshit, the damn thing's so broken that it's practically spewing nonsense.

_"Aaahh! Ahhh! They're shooting at us! I don't know who the hell they are but they're AGGHHHH –"_

_"Fuck you, fuck _all _of you! How _dare _you kill her! How dare you THUD _–_"_

This must be a dream. That's it; her injuries must be so bad that she's hallucinating like having inhaled a potful of drugs. Hallucinating so fucking badly that even her eyes are all blurry.

_"Oh god, I know that guy – of course, it could _only _be them, it's THUD"_

_"Why? Why are you doing this, it doesn't make any fucking sense! Stop it BOOM"_

But if this was really a dream then why was she crying? The inside of her mouth tasted like blood. Her left fist was tightened so hard her bones felt like it would break. Maybe it will, and then the pain will make it all go away. Maybe –

_"Papa…? Papa? C'mon, we have to go… Papa?"_

No.

_"Papa, c'mon! Don't just lie there, stand up! Papa?"_

No. _No_. She needed to turn off the radio. If she listens to anymore of this, she didn't know what would – she might just –

_"Papa… _hiikk… _Please... wake up… _hiikuu… _I won't be a bad girl anymore, I'll listen to anything you say so please… wake –"_

BANG.

* * *

When Falcon came to consciousness, the first thing that registered in his brain was unbelievable pain. That was however no useful input, so he did his best to ignore it and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a blue sky and gold, wild strands of familiar flowing hair that ran against the wind and comforted him far more than he would ever admit to its owner. Putting his current condition aside – there really was no need to look down and confirm what he already knew – the inspector immediately began trying to process in his mind exactly what had happened. He remembered talking to Yang Xiao Long, daughter of the most dangerous criminal organization in Jiu Xu, and directly calling out some of her clan members or family to be a traitor. Perhaps Yang had blasted him with her Semblance flames from that unintentional provocation?

_BOOM._

The ground beneath him rumbled ominously, and his heartbeat jolted as if recoiling from an unpleasant memory. Not fire, but an explosion; the young man remembered now. It was an explosion from perhaps another bomb cleverly concealed in a place even he had failed to find. Was the boom he heard just now another explosion like this one? The implications were terrifying to say the least. He needed more information.

"Yang," he rasped. Good, his voice still worked despite having a throat dry enough that he could be drinking sand. He would use it wisely.

"You awake? Good. I was getting tired of babysitting," The blonde woman did not turn around to look at him, and for some reason it made him feel uneasy. He tried shrugging off the weird feeling and asked, "What happened while I was out?"

She did not answer him. Instead, the blonde woman continued talking as if she had never heard, "The hospital is down, which means you'll need an Aura healer. Your assistant name's Iris, is it? I called her and she should be arriving very soon. You just stay put and do nothing for now."

"What? What happened to the hospital?"

But she did not answer. Her tone was flat, emotionless. It's as if her soul had flown somewhere far, far away, and Falcon found himself growing increasing nervous. It was completely uncharacteristic for him to feel so, but the same went for the blonde criminal who was infinitely cheerful no matter what the circumstances. He needed to know what the hell was going on, and she just wouldn't tell him for whatever reason. In that case he'll just have to see it for himself. With immense difficulty he began extracting his limbs from the pavement, feeling every bit of his broken bones and injuries biting at the limits of his control with excruciating pain. Yang did not come to his aid. When it became obvious that he could not sit upright, Falcon chose to roll sideways instead; surely he could do at least that much. His vision swung around dangerously, but now he was facing towards Yang's direction, and he saw –

The first thing he saw was the black eyes of a dead woman, her body scorched black and smoking as if burned by hell fire. He saw a row of once fine buildings wrecked and burned down into black skeletons of their former shape, with the grounds and further buildings still ablaze in roaring fire and ashes. He saw wrecked cars, wrecked lamp posts, wrecked streets and the sky choking with the biggest and blackest smoke column he has ever seen. He tried to pretend that he didn't see the dead bodies. Dead men, dead women, dead child, dead everywhere. _Hell_.

He couldn't.

"I'm going. If what you said was true, then there's someone I need to settle things with."

"Wait!" Yang began walking away, but Falcon cried out before succumbing to a round of terrible coughing. The blonde woman gave him time until his breathing finally steadied, "Where are you headed to? If a coup d'état had happened, the enemy is most likely at the central government –"

"You brain isn't working, Falcon. There is only one place the culprit will be. Anyway, just leave everything to me."

Yang strode off again, and for some reason the further she went, the brighter the blonde woman seemed to be, and soon it was so bright Falcon had to look away. Abruptly, the inspector understood what he was seeing. It was the most gigantic column of golden fire he had ever seen from Yang, and it enveloped at least good three meters all around her entire body. The tar beneath her feet was literally evaporating into black, formless vapor.

_"I'll burn them all."_


	5. Ghosts

**Author's Notes: I'll keep this brief because my lack of sleep for the past few days have been getting to me. This chapter tells of the history of the Yang family, and a very short summary of one adventure of a group called the 'Rose of Summer'. Yep, that's Summer Rose's story and prequel to everything, but I won't be writing that one any time soon obviously. **

**Do enjoy the chapter if only because it reads smoother than I thought - or maybe my sleep deprived mind was strangling my coherence. Next chapter will feature Nora and Ren and some action to boot, so stay tuned!**

* * *

When she rounded the final corner of a wall, her destination was within sight. There stood the Yang family mansion, her home for seventeen years, and also the only place she could think of where the mastermind behind all the atrocities hid. Her Semblance roared. As she got closer to the gates, she saw many fully armed guards – far more than Yang has ever seen in any normal day – surrounding the entire perimeter of the mansion with guns trained at any living thing that dare passed under their scope. Not even Yang Xiao Long, the only daughter and heiress to the proud Yang clan was an exception, and as soon as she stepped into view countless number of red dots was trained instantly all over her body. Virtually every man looked to be running on thin ice with terror etched on every one of their faces, but it was only to be expected after such an unprecedented magnitude of unrestrained terrorism. Under any other circumstances, Yang would've gone forth immediately to comfort her subordinates and relieve some of the obvious tension.

She was nowhere near the mood to even talk.

"I will say this only once," Yang said with eyes red as fresh blood, "I am not the person you're looking for, so get out of my way. _Now_."

They scurried away like rats. Not even the bravest of thugs was stupid enough to cross her path. Yang easily strode her way in as soon as the metal gate slid open, and for an instant her pacing quickened before she forcibly suppress it down to a slow but steady gait. In fact, the further she went the smaller her Semblance flames became, until finally they dissipated completely with only her eyes still colored red in fury. If Yang was to follow her true desires she would have sprinted like a mad fire bull directly towards the gathering hall where she knew _they _would be there, waiting to answer her questions. But no. As much as she was desperate to end this even a second sooner, the thinker inside Yang knew that her injuries still required some time to heal and normalize. She especially understood that if it came down to a fight, if it came down to the worst case scenario, she had to ensure that her ankle and wrist were at least useable, and only then she would stand the slimmest of chance of coming out of this alive and atone for this massacre.

Her victory was already assured. It was absolutely pointless to think otherwise.

At long last, after an excruciating five minutes of walk with absolutely not a single soul at sight, Yang had finally arrived to the open doorway that would lead her to the answers she sought. Have all the non-combatants been sent home or at least moved to somewhere else? That was one comforting thought at least; she could not even bear to think of accidentally injuring any one of them, not after all the things she wished she had never seen or heard. Sucking in a deep breath, the blonde woman steeled herself and passed through the doorway. It was time.

"You were late," a masculine voice greeted her, cool and unfeeling, "I almost thought you couldn't make it."

The first person she saw was Ren. He was kneeling down on the floor at the middle of the gathering hall, posture straight and magenta eyes sharp and guarded as usual. This would've been a completely normal sight if it wasn't for the dual pistols in his hands, which was a banned item in this sacred hall. Granted, this particular occasion was rather special, so Yang was not surprised in the slightest to see this.

What _did _surprise her however was the injured person lying face down on the floor beside Ren. It was Nora Valkyrie, and in complete contrast to her usual hyperactive and unstoppable self, the woman looked bruised, battered and completely out cold. Despite herself, Yang ran towards the duo with true concern. Her entire body was littered with so many cuts that Yang almost recoiled at the sight of it despite having seen far worse things at the city. Ruby was one thing, but Yang was fairly certain that there weren't many people in this city who could put a single scratch onto the powerful Guardian, much less beat her into such a pitiful state. The one person she_ could_ think capable of doing this was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened, Ren? Where's Da?" Yang inquired.

"I don't know," Nora's condition seemed to have caused him great distress. Yang even thought she saw dry tear streaks on the young man's cheeks, although she was tactful enough not to point it out, "Master Yang summoned us last night to meet him at eleven, but then there were the explosions around the city, and Nora came here first because I had to organize the perimeter defense. When I came back she was already like this. I didn't see Master Yang, but…"

Ren looked towards the very end of the gathering hall, and Yang followed suit. For the first time, she noticed an open, nearly unnoticeable flat steel door at the far end of the wall. Yang has never noticed it for the entire seventeen years length of her life. Was it a secret passage then? "I see," Yang glared towards the suspicious entrance with menace – perhaps Da was in there doing god-knows-what, "Stay here and watch over Nora. I'll go check it out."

"Wait. I should go with you," Ren tried standing up, but when Nora let out a sudden moan the young man froze and was instantly back down on his knees again, looking at the groaning woman with concern. It was obvious that he was reluctant to leave his partner's side, so Yang gave a sigh and said,

"Look, you're going to be useless being distracted like this. If we have to…" she swallowed down the words, unwilling to say what she had in mind, "Besides, we don't know if there are any more enemies, so just stay here and watch over Nora."

For a moment Lie Ren hesitated, his features wrought with worry until finally, the young man nodded and looked back down at Nora. Seeing that her two friends would be fine for now, Yang did not bother returning her own and went immediately for the temple. During the short stride towards the doorway, Yang kept her back purposefully exposed towards Lie Ren with her stance relaxed and unwary. She was not a fool – Lie Ren himself was an expert with blades, and while she personally found it impossible to believe that he would ever hurt Nora, it was a chance that she could not afford to take. People have snapped for far lesser reasons, and she had known him Lie Ren even longer than Nora did despite the fact that they were never as close. And so she waited, but nothing happened throughout the entire length of time, and she eventually reached metal door and pulled it further open. Still she waited as the warrior stood unmoving for several seconds, offering the last chance for betrayal.

There was nothing. Yang gave herself an internal shrug and moved on. By no means was she relieved in the slightest, it could simply be that he deemed the occasion too risky to strike. At this stage she would suspect even Ruby if she showed up again, whose one night of stay had suddenly turned her entire world completely upside down. This also meant that her _Da, _her only family and the one person she loved more than anything in this whole wide world, may be responsible for the dreadful massacre of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of innocent people.

Yang gritted her teeth and moved on. That was the only thing she could do right now.

* * *

She had watched it all happen from a hill overseeing the city. It was a terrible thing, and the wind itself seemed to carry softly the screams of the dead, but if she was to be completely honest to herself, the young girl just didn't care much about it. Life and death had long since ceased its meaning to her, and while her savior might have revived the humanity she thought she had lost completely, that didn't mean that she was compassionate enough to try and salvage this mess. Both her skills and her life were born for murder, not saving lives.

But she knew that amidst all these madness, there would be a fool who would try to save her home and stop whoever the hell's behind this terrorism. She knew that even with all the odds in the world stacked against her, the idiot would never back down without giving it her all. So it was a shame, really. That idiot had thought her as a friend, and perchance she might've thought that way too. It really was a shame that her first friend in her entire life might no longer be in the very, very soon future.

Ruby Rose looked down one last time on the burning city of Jiu Xu, and vanished without a trace.

* * *

The Yang family has a secret.

A long, long time ago, the Yang family was normal humans living normal lives just like any other one of their peers, but then a terrible tragedy happened. While there were no longer any records left that described about the incident, one thing was certain: The _accident _caused the Yang family to be _misunderstood _and treated as the ultimate sinner, and since then they were shunned and completely exiled from the society. This would've been a rather minor case in this era, where the simple solution could be to move somewhere far away and start anew.

But the older times were different. The people were more violent, more barbaric, and they were not nearly cultured enough to obey the law, much less understand that murder was wrong and against morals. The Yang family was abused, hated upon, and terrorized by their own people. It was a common sight to see them beaten up on the street, whether be it a man, a woman, an elderly, or even a child. The worst part was that they were not allowed to leave so much an inch away from the city, and every time they tried the poor folks were just beaten right back to their cage, to where they 'rightfully' should be. Those who hadn't already killed themselves endured cruelty and torture far beyond any stretch of imagination. It was as if they were discriminated as terribly as the Grimm themselves, but with nowhere near the ability or strength to hurt or kill their tormentors in return.

Naturally, the Yang family began to hate. At this point their hatred wasn't just directed at the human community who oppressed them, but towards all of mankind. This was the beginning of one of the unholiest worship in Remnant – _Demon _worship – for if they were treated like monsters, then why should they even bother trying to be human? Why don't they just become the _monsters_ themselves? And so every day they would pray to their black god, wishing with all their heart for the death of all the people around them. They prayed for their tormenters to suffer onto eternity even _after _death, for mankind's mere existence was a sin and blasphemy to the very world itself. They had literally turned into a cult. The Grimm wasn't their destroyer, they were their one true _savior _– savage angels sent from the heavens to liberate them all for their terrible life. And so they prayed. They prayed for the one day the Grimm would kill everything and everyone.

Ever since then, the Yang family stood a little straighter, a little prouder. Their once absolute fear was completely replaced by blind faith, and they barely responded to anything their tormentors threw at them. There were no screams, no cries, not even the lightest grunt even when the residents hauled away a random family member and lobbed off his head. Eventually, the townspeople began to realize that something was different, that something was _off_. It didn't take long either for the townspeople to even start _fearing _them, ironic as it was, and the frequency of torture actually decreased dramatically as they to avoid the Yang family instead rather than suffer their unspeakably eerie stare.

It was a mistake. Their avoidance had unwittingly given the Yang family far more freedom than they had before, and they wasted no time in exploiting the openings to progress their evil worship. It was then the terrible rumors of horror and death began: Mr. Liang, blacksmith and father of two of the southern streets found dead and crucified on the hidden walls of a dark alley. Mrs. Johnson's twin babies suddenly disappeared into thin air from the house, and when she saw them again they were two sliced off bloody heads placed side by side in front of her porch. The madness and atrocity had only escalated in frequency and cruelty, and inevitably, after a few weeks of horror the fingers were once again pointed at the Yang family. Thousands of people surrounded their pitiful wooden hut with torches and curses as they dragged the last three Yang family members out of their holes for execution. They were a mother, a son and a three months old baby girl. The father had died two weeks prior inside the hut, and legend said that the terrible smell of rot and decay still lingered to this day. It was absolutely unfathomable how they could've possibly committed the crimes given that the healthiest of them all was actually the baby and the rest were just skin and bones, but the townspeople remained absolutely convinced that somehow, someway, they must've done it, and ironically, they were right this one time out of thousands of other accusations. With the baby still wailing in her mother's breast, they tied both mother and son was quickly tied up to a pole on top of a mountain of firewood. Then, someone lit a match and commenced the burning.

But there was a difference. Unlike the last time where the entire tragedy and beyond was an _accident_, this time the Yang family had _planned_ for their own deaths. During their short-lived freedom, they had murdered with pure, undiluted hatred a total of ninety six people as sacrifices for their evil god, and at the ninety-ninth sacrifice the Yang family believed that a Demon, the most terrifying and deadliest kind of Grimm would be summoned unto this world. Thus it was with a final laughter of madness and hatred that the duo and an innocent toddler sacrificed their own lives to complete the absurd ritual.

And they did it. It should not have been possible. How the Yang family ever came across such dangerous knowledge was a mystery as much as their sudden faith in the Grimm, but regardless the so-called ritual should never have succeeded, if only because the conditions to summon a Demon were _too easy. _Still they had succeeded against all odds, and a terrifying monster ancient and powerful unlike anything the city has ever seen before descended unto the world. It won't be until a few years later when the people finally had a name for the Demon, and they called it the _Bu Si Mian_, Face of the Un-death. In one night the entire city was wiped out of all its populace, and the souls of the dead that should've passed on to the world beyond was trapped and forced to exist in the its prison of hell forever. They will be forced for an eternity to live the final day of their lives. They will be forced to relive every moment of their agony and pain as the Demon ripped out their hearts and limbs and brains and devoured them all whole. All efforts made to slay the Demon had ended in disastrous failure, and since the monster seemed content to stay at its own territory, the city was even abandoned and forgotten during the utter chaos of the Grimm War. For the longest of time, it would seem that the eternal cycle of suffering would never be broken.

That was until forty years ago. That was when a foolish group of adventurers wandered into the uncharted territory, and through luck, courage, persistence and the purest of hearts, the city was finally liberated from its eternal prison.

* * *

"… It used to be nameless," her Da said solemnly, "We now call it Jiu Xu, 'Redemption'. Funnily enough, that was enough to attract fools to visit and settle at this literal ghost city, and since then it has enjoyed only peace and prosperity."

Yang did not say a word. More accurately speaking, she had not had a chance to interject during the entire tale. Thirty minute ago, she was running down a seemingly endless spiral of stone-carved staircase deeper and deeper underground with only her Aura to light her path until finally, she reached a strange and unfamiliar space. The darkness here was overwhelming, and the place was huge enough that even her flames could not fully illuminate it. Warily, Yang began observing her immediate surroundings and tried to grasp some sense from them.

At first glance the cavern had looked like a temple. There were rows and rows of human-sized statues aligned to both sides of the entrance she came through, and a single rock paved pathway roughly two meters wide leading straight into deeper darkness. Tugged by curiosity, Yang had moved closer to the alien statues for a better look, and upon closer inspection she realized that they were eerie sculptures of some of the most grotesque creatures she has ever seen. Every single one of them was unique in shape, and there were literally _thousands_ of these scary things. Yang felt the coldest chill down her spine even as she hastily backed away from the creepy objects. With a little bit of focus, Yang intensified her Aura flames ever so slightly, just in case these fuckers suddenly came to life and ambush her or something. The blonde brawler continued walking forwards one step at a time, and she had to force her hands down to her sides in a relaxed manner. She could keep herself in a fighting stance, but that would only cause her to feel even more pressured, as if the atmosphere wasn't oppressive enough already. _All this time, _she thought ominously to herself, _seventeen years of ignorance of this hellhole right underneath my nose._

At long last she arrived at the end of the cavern and into a wide, circular opening. _A platform, I think?_ As she stepped closer towards the center, the huge _thing _had suddenly appeared right before her and Yang came this close to fire off a panic round before her brain finally made sense of what she was seeing. It was a human face, but in no way resembling one. It was one giant face that has to be at least twenty meters wide and carved with the biggest and most terrifying jet black eyes the blonde woman has ever seen. While logical thought dictated that the black color was just paint or some other coloring substance, for some reason her instincts screamed that it was something entirely different and _extremely _dangerous. There was no nose. Even eerier was the elongated, wide smile etched on the face that literally stretched from ear to ear in the most disturbing way possible. It seemed to have a body, and as she stepped cautious forwards Yang noticed a neck, then the shoulders and its body stretching down to a pitch black, seemingly bottomless crevice. She _still _could not see the end of the statue, which by rough estimation had to be at least fifty meters tall. She felt her head spinning mad with the implications as she withdrew from the edge – what does this mean? Could there be something else downthere? Someone must have built this statue so what then, an _underground _world? Just what the hell _is _this place?

For the first time in her life Yang Xiao Long felt her legs shaking in uncontrollable terror. Since when did her breathing get this ragged? Since when did her clothes get so drenched with sweat? _So cold_. The blonde realized abruptly that despite her Aura flames, she was feeling cold enough that her entire body was stiff and shivery. That had _never _happened in her entire life. Every breath she released came out in white, and in a desperate attempt to keep warm she forcibly summoned even more Aura into existence. At this rate she would exhaust herself before she even got into a fight, but anything was preferable than this bone chilling cold that's seeping into her soul. _This place is fucking scary, fucking unnatural, and I'm still not seeing Da anywhere at all, _Yang thought to herself while spinning around for the exit, _high time to g –_

_"Fuck!" _

Yang instinctively leaped a few steps backwards before remembering the sheer drop towards behind her and stopped just in time. Standing at the only entrance and exit of this circular platform was Master Yang Ju Long, and the old man was staring right into her eyes with uncanny intensity.

"The _fucking hell_, Da, don't fucking scare me like that! I was looking for you!" Yang exclaimed angrily and walked towards him, all the while trying not to think if he had been staring at her like that for the entire time. At this point she was so crept out that she didn't even care about getting answers out of her old man; not here at least.

"Would you like to hear a story, Yang?"

That stopped Yang at her tracks. A story? Now? In this _fucking _place? This was all starting to turn out a nightmare, and Yang carefully said without letting her panic show, "Da, if you don't mind, can we get out of… whatever this place is first, and _then _the storytelling?"

But despite her protests, the old man began talking as if he didn't hear her, and after a length, one-sided storytelling session it seemed that he was finally over. Sensing that Ju Long was awaiting her response, Yang tried to think of something that does not fall under the 'can we just go _now_' category, "So we're descendants of the same cursed Yang family? That can't be right; you just said all three of them got burned to death."

"That is partially true," Ju Long stated with unbelievable steadiness, considering their surroundings, "At the time, every single person one of the Yang family was killed, and even if the townspeople had somehow missed out a person or two, the Demon murdered everyone in the end anyway. Four months before the terrible tragedy, a woman of great stature had come from outside the city. By pure coincidence she met up with the eldest son of the Yang family on a stray back alley, and they fell in love with each other.

However, the townspeople are constantly observing the Yang family for any chances of abuse. The affair was quickly discovered, and while they could not mistreat or imprison the woman and risk civil war with the other cities, it was a simple thing to boot her out and forbid her from ever returning to the place. The son was executed the next day for adultery, which is a complete joke of a sentence and an excuse for murder. The woman on the other hand had a child, and when news of the city's demise reached her ears she decided to flee far, far away from the accursed place. It was a good thing she did, or the consequences would've been unimaginable."

Yang closed her eyes, finding it impossible to relax with the malice-filled story clogging her mind and the pair of black eyes creating invisible pressure behind her, "Okay. So we're descendants of the Yang. Are you saying that we're cursed? Had the affair happened _before _the Demon worshipping happened, or after?"

Ju Long smiled approvingly and said, "Before. But a Demon's curse is not as simple as that, especially when the human, against all odds, had summoned one of the most powerful evil Remnant has ever seen. Every man with the Yang blood flowing in their body were automatically marked and damned, even if they don't know it."

"Marked _how_? Does it even matter if we were marked? The Demon never moved from the city anyway, and it can't possibly affect people that far away!" Yang replied.

Still Yang Ju Long kept his exasperating smile, "You're underestimating a Demon's curse, but that is generally correct. The _Bu Si Mian's_ strength could only extend so far, and those outside a hundred kilometers radius from the city would not feel its influence. Those who were in it however _will _be affected. The most minor effects are nauseousness, blackouts at certain times, and sudden outbursts of anger. The closer they are to the city, the worse it gets, and sometimes the weaker-minded would outright attack anyone that crosses their path. And those are people whose Yang bloodline has already thinned to the point that they were barely distinguishable.

The people whose blood was purer however – especially those who were direct descendants of the Yang clan – had it far worse. Even of outside the Demon's influence, these people are easily irritable, prone to violence, and were struck often by moments of indescribable hatred for the common man. The person's will does not matter: One second a husband may be tending to his wife, and the next he may be violently beating her until the strange fit passed away. Naturally, almost every people with the Yang blood turn out to be criminals because of their violent instincts."

Yang Ju Long coughed slightly before continuing, "The real horror though, starts when they entered the Demon's influence. In fact, _Bu Si Mian _actively tries to summon all those with the Yang bloodline so it could _possess _them. You would recall that the summoners of the Demon had a deep hatred towards the mankind that oppressed them unfairly, especially towards all the humans in the city. That was why its existence was rooted there. Had even one of the original summoners survived, the Demon would've possessed the living vessel and be able to travel anywhere it wanted and accomplish its sole purpose of existence: to kill and damn every single living being in the world. Fortunately they have all perished, so it had to wait and lure for countless of years a vessel with strong bloodline or even a direct descendant into its territory. The vessel also has to be strong enough to withstand the Demon's influence and not go insane before they even got close to the heart of its territory," Yang Ju Long hesitated for a second before pointing a finger to the floor, "_Here_."

Suddenly Yang felt as if the temperature has dropped a couple more degrees, and her hands were visibly shaking despite her attempts to regain control. _Well shit, at least I know now why this place feels like the pits of Hell itself_, "Get to the fucking point already, Da. What does that have to do with us? I've never felt anything you just described! Like sure, sometimes I get mad and sometimes I get _really _mad, but they're all _normal,_ not to mention you look pretty fine and dandy to me yourself!"

Yang Ju Long fell silent. Not once had her father moved away from the spot, and with her only escape path blocked the Yang could only listen in frustration and fear. There was something wrong with Da, that much was obvious at least – and yet he looked so calm and steady – _but perhaps that was exactly the signs of something unnatural –_ at least possessed by this evil he's talking about. Besides, wasn't it destroyed already like, forty years ago?

"You used to hate listening to my heroic tales, don't you Yang?" He started again softly, speaking a line that differed from her gruesome imagination, "This time though, I'm afraid that you have to. Would you entertain me for just a little longer?"

For a moment, Yang felt a trickle of relief flowing down her veins. Whatever happened up there, whatever the hell was going on with this place, her father was still here. Yang answered softly and for once, without any bit of sarcasm at all, "Of course I will, Da."

Ju Long returned a thankful smile and nodded, "I told you before that a group of adventurers had put an end to this tragedy. What I did not say however, was that _I _– no, me and your _mother_ – was part of that group."

Yang's mouth fell open. She wasn't exactly surprised to hear her Da's involvement in the case – he _was _a hero after all in the past, before he decided in the end that it just wasn't his style – no, she was surprised to hear him talk about _mother_. Ever since she passed away five years ago, Da had not talked a single word about her. It was as if he had completely forgotten her existence overnight, and he even had the galls to marry a complete bitch which thankfully died in the hands of some other crazy woman. Yes, her Da was _really _the player, and it was that unbelievable callousness was partly the reason why Yang grew up to be so rebellious.

"Forty years ago, I was part of the adventuring group called the 'Rose of Summer'. During our journey, we had accepted a request to investigate the strange uprising of violence in the town we're temporarily staying in, and one thing after another we were eventually led to this place.

You said that I look fine and dandy, and I suppose I was doing well for most of my life. But this wasn't always the case, Yang, and forty years ago I definitely wasn't. As I've mentioned before, anyone who has the Yang clan blood would be affected by the Demon, and in my case I was exceptionally suited to become the Demon's vessel not only because I was a direct descendant but also an exceptional Huntsman. It wasn't just the outbursts of violence, I was even plagued by dreams; terrible nightmares that turned out to be real memories of the past. The stories I told you were one of them. The closer I came to the place, the more I lose myself amidst the sea of memories and terrible, terrible hatred, and in the end I even lost sight of my own identity. I thought hated mankind, I thought wanted to kill all of them, and my allies – my _friends_ – came very close to falling prey to my wicked desires."

His eyes watered a little. Yang thought she might be seeing things, but the glint of tears was definitely there, "But your mother never gave up. Lia was a high priestess from the mythical southern tribe of Sabara, and so she was very well versed in healing spells and soul cleansing magic. That was also the only reason why you're unaffected by the curse, Yang – you have your mother's holy powers in you, along with my flames but without its inherent darkness. Throughout the ordeal, when even my own friends had begun to doubt me, she had never left my side and did everything in her power to fight the Demon's influence. In the end _Bu Si Mian _failed to possess me and chose another body instead, which gave us the once-in-a-lifetime chance to destroy it once and for all.

However, we were not as successful as we originally thought. For one, we failed to destroy the core body of the demon. They are the two black gems behind you, and they are stone constructs of pure malice," Ju Long pointed towards her back, and Yang turned around palely to catch a glimpse of the terrifying eyes that seemed to pierce right through her soul, "Not even our leader, _Summer Rose _was able to destroy it. After all, her skills were ultimately specialized against Demons with a living body, and Dust technology wasn't nearly as advanced as it was now. Lia wasn't powerful enough to break it, and my flames are of the same origin as the stones – it is ironically the one thing in this world I cannot destroy. Someone needed to look after them so that it could not be misused or even _revived_ into existence, so after Lia and I got married, we decided to settle right here. We believed that given time we would eventually find a way to destroy these things and finally end the threat that's been plaguing the world for centuries."

His features grew dark then, and there was a terrible sadness in his eyes that would not fade away, "But five years ago, Lia… Lia died. I've never told you this, but while your mother has incredible power, they came at a steep price. Every time she casted a healing spell, every time she purged evil from a host body, she was sacrificing her own life force. Of course, she had kept that to a bare minimum after we retired, but when we first adventured to this city, she was forced to cast them with incredible frequency and power. That night the blood price finally caught up with her, and even when facing death she was _still_ trying to comfort me, and I could do _nothing _to save her. I don't deserve Lia, truly. I never deserved your mum," Ju Long barked out a harsh laughter, even as Yang tried speaking and found no words to offer.

"In the end, the gems remained intact. When Lia was still around, we would try a new spell or two and see if we can break the damn thing, but to no avail. Now there was no one left who could purify the malefic energy it gathered slowly but surely from the people above, and fat chance finding another Sabara tribesman to help out; they're mythical for a reason. And finally…" he paused, "Finally, my nightmares have begun once more. It has been this way ever since Lia passed away, and although I have been doing my best to suppress them, two weeks ago I woke up to find myself at unfamiliar place. It wasn't an uncommon thing when I got drunk, but the night before I was working and had fallen asleep on the table. Later that evening, three of our men had died due to an explosion at the exact area. Since then, the blackouts happened with alarming frequency, and after a little bit of investigation, it seemed that I wasn't the only one too. Apparently the Demon was still attracting people with the Yang blood everywhere, and it's using us – using _me _– to commit murder everywhere. And today… seriously, this bastard has such terrible tastes of _fun _that it's revolting."

Her old man let out a chuckle, but Yang Xiao Long only felt her heart turned ice cold and her mind a whirlpool of disbelief and fear. She asked with a trembling voice, "Da, why are you so casual about this? I've seen and heard _hundreds _of people die. _I _almost died. This isn't funny. This isn't funny at all."

All the sudden Ju Long frowned, and his dark eyes squinted with harshness and anger, "That is right, Yang Xiao Long. This is not a situation to be laughed at. With every passing second I'm losing control over my own body, and in perhaps an hour – no, less than that – _Bu Si Mian _will possess me and be revived onto this world once more. It's at least twenty years ahead of your mother's predictions and I don't know why, but it's definitely happening right now. Oh, its powers are far weaker than it was in the past, and it will still have to hide and recuperate for a very long time, but that would be _after_ it began its slaughter again and turn this city into an eternal prison of hell once more. I will _not _allow it, you hear me? This is the place Lia _died _to protect, this is our _home, _and _I will not allow Jiu Xu fall!_"

Yang flinched. It would seemed that she was having a lot of new lifetime experiences in an unbelievably short amount of time, but the daughter had never heard her father so angry. She had never heard him _roared _like the very thunder striking from the heavens. She finally understood exactly why he was called the Wild Dragon of Vytal. The shocked but determined daughter stared at Ju Long with renewed hope and pride – Da must have found a way to stop this, and with time running out, she must do everything in her might to aid him in stopping this Demon once and for all. As if reading her mind, her father said,

"To do that, I need your help, Yang Xiao Long. This is a task that you must accomplish if we were to destroy this piece of shit and save everyone," Ju Long stared right into her eyes with burning intensity, and Yang stared right back with what she thought to be equal determination. She would do it. No matter how hard it may be, no matter how impossible things may seem, she would finish it. Yang gave a single nod of acknowledgement, and waited for his words.

"Good," Yang Ju Long smiled viciously and took one step towards Yang, "The ultimate objective is to destroy the two black gems, and only your Semblance flames – a beautiful union of my powers and Lia's – could do it. But first things first: You must kill me now."


	6. Crisis

**Author's Notes: So I was down with one helluva wicked fever, hence the delay, and I'm not even joking here - it's ****_really _****hard to sleep when your gonads are burning up.**

**But enough with those talks. For this chapter we're going to get a small sneak peak at Lie Ren's history, and a little more on the next chapter even though it'll focus on a very different character instead. I've personally decided to develop the side characters such as Ren and Nora in a different series instead rather than trying to shove them in the main storyline, since they won't be joining up with Ruby and the others until quite some time later.**

* * *

Lie Ren was a special child. At the age of eight, when he was but a little boy shopping happily with his papa and mama on a random street, they had the misfortune of being attacked by a pair of vicious robbers which resulted tragically in his parents' death. Blinded by sadness and anger the boy awakened to his Semblance, and as he swung two puny fists at the sneering thugs' knees one could imagine their surprise when they suddenly found themselves missing a leg each. Fueled by the thugs' howl of terror and pain the onlookers had looked frightened enough to bludgeon the strange little boy to death, and it was completely thanks to a passing by Master Yang that the situation was promptly brought under control. That he had broken the thugs' other leg just because they annoyed him with their screaming was certainly… questionable, but it was an undeniable fact that the dark-eyed, kindly master had saved his life. Since then, he had lived under his benefactor's roof to repay the favor, and to better control his Semblance and skills.

The young boy grew fast. He adapted to the Yang style martial arts almost immediately and in just two years had already surpassed his master's daughter, Yang Xiao Long in terms of pure physical skills. This unfortunately became a hot point of friction as the blonde girl would butt heads with him at every chance she got even though all Lie Ren wanted from her was to be left alone. The resultant brawls were never pretty, and after one incident after another eventually Master Yang forbade the duo from meeting up with each other even during meals. Not that the ban was actually effective considering that Yang was as cunning as a fox especially when it came to breaking rules, but they did meet up less frequently than before, and Lie Ren appreciated the extra hours of peace with gratitude and relief.

That would not last, however. Another year passed, and this time it was Mistress Lia who brought in a new child. The instant Lie Ren saw the new entree he felt his headache increasing tenfold than it was before. The orange-haired girl was loud, boorish, hyperactive and wore by far the silliest smile he has ever seen to date. Worse, when the girl caught him peeking out at her from behind a stone pillar, she had run up to him and practically screamed into his ears that he was now the first friend she had ever made. At the time, he did not yet understand the cruel meaning behind her words and was just trying his absolute best to escape her monstrously strong grasp. When he had begged from Master Yang and Lia to help, they only shook their heads, smiled enigmatically before leaving him to his misery. Later on, he would learn that they had brought the girl back for the exact purpose of making him - and her as well, although again he won't know this until later on – a bit more 'sociable'. That got him sulking for days before Mistress Lia cooked up his favorite lotus soup and cooed him to acceptance with her silver tongue.

The girl's name was Nora Valkyrie, and while he did not know it at that time, she would soon become the most important partner and friend in his entire life.

* * *

"Nngh… Ren?"

"Nora. How are you feeling?" Ren could not begin to describe the ridiculous amount of relief welling up in his heart, even as he kept his hand hovering just a few inches away from Nora's stomach to heal her with his Aura. Already the signs of fatigue were starting to creep up to his head, but he ignored them all and focused on the task at hand. While the young man had unbelievable skill and control for his age, he was not blessed with a huge capacity of the soul, and the healing – simple as it was – was costing Lie Ren a great deal of strength.

Nora Valkyrie was not his best partner by coincidence or luck. Even at her groggy state her eyes had spotted immediately the sheen of sweat coating the young man's cheeks and the slight, nearly unnoticeable shake of his glowing right hand. Sighing, she grabbed the wrist decisively and gave him a silly smile, "Good morning, Ren. Or is it afternoon already?"

Ren began to speak, "Almost afternoon. Let me go so I can hea –"

"Caaaan't heaaaar yoooou!" Nora singsong as she plugged one side of her ears in a poor attempt to feign ignorance, "And I won't be able to hear you until you stop whatever you're trying to do right about now now now!"

Ren sighed and pulled away gently even as he bit a smile of his own, "Fine. So what happened here? Who did this to you?"

Almost immediately Nora's smile vanished, and in that instant Lie Ren understood with painful clarity that Master Yang was the one behind this_._ When he had tended to Nora, the young man recognized almost instantly the numerous cuts on her body to be Master Yang's unique technique, the 'Dragon's Claws'. He had since tried really hard not to think about it, until now. _Just why is Master Yang doing this?_

Nora seemed to have noticed his feelings, and her features softened just a little to show her concern. However, this was not the time to be dwelling in sentiments as her eyes narrowed and began retelling her story, "When I came here, I saw Master Yang opening the secret door at the back. He looked off somehow; he was talking weird and it's as if he's not himself. When he turned around later and looked at me, he..." she sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "… asked me to _kill _him. He was _very _serious, Ren; I've never seen Master Yang so serious before, and so I tried... and I failed to."

Ren took a few deep breaths of his own to calm down his nerves. His mind was having great difficulty trying the process these most shocking revelation of events, "That doesn't make sense. Why would he want to do that? Besides, we all know he had a better chance dying from choking on food than our hands."

"I don't know, Ren. Like I said, I don't think Master Yang was himself. Look," Nora raised both her arms to show the cuts that haven't healed yet, "I've never seen Master Yang fight like this. The entire time, I kept getting the feeling that he was trying to hold back and prolong the fight, to give me a chance to stop him somehow. In the end, he just sighed and knocked me out with a chop to the neck."

He had to think. Ren knew that Nora was very serious about the whole thing, and that by itself told exactly how bad the situation was. Slowly he asked, "Are you suggesting that something has _possessed_ Master Yang? That he was not in control of his own actions? Is that even possible?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one with the brains!" Nora pouted a little before saying, "But well, something is _definitely _wrong, and we need to fix it fast. Where is Yang, by the way? I can't believe she would miss all the action!"

"Actually," Ren said hesitantly before nodding at the door, "She went down there about twenty minutes ago. Since you were out cold, she asked me to stay here and protect you."

"You _what?_" Upon hearing this Nora suddenly screeched right into his ears and causing the young man to fall right on his back, "Nora Valkyrie _needs no protection, _you big utter _fool!_ And how could you let Yang go down there all by herself? This is Master Yang we're talking about!"

"Sorry, but well. You. Out cold," Ren gave up his last resistance and did not hold a hand over his ears, knowing that she would just peel it apart and shriek right in it again with unassailable logic,

"I can't believe it! She's going to get _all _the glory, _all _the fame for defeating the strongest man in the world, while we are to be just _cannon fodder? I won't stand for this!_"

… That was the point? Before he could provide a remark of his own Nora's face had hovered into view as she continued to spray saliva all over the floor. That none of it actually hit his face could only be attributed to some warped, Nora-esque logic, "We have no time to waste, Ren! You must go down there _right _now and help Yang! I'm almost one hundred percent sure Master Yang is on the verge of victory by strangling her or punching her or boobing her – no wait he's her Da, silly me – and we absolutely _cannot _allow her to go into hero mode and suddenly come back against all possible odds in Remnant to beat him DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Ren tried, "But what about y –"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND, SIR?"

"… Yes, Ma'am," Ren surrendered with another sigh and stood up from the spot gingerly. Almost immediately he was assaulted by intense dizziness; a sign that he has employed his Semblance for too long a period. With a single breath, he began dispelling all the unnecessary thoughts from his mind and honed it into a sharp blade. The temporary symptom no longer bothered him, and with a single twirl of his dual guns, the young Guardian was ready and prepared.

"I'll be going then," Ren did not wait for Nora's answer as he began striding towards the black-infused entrance. She was loud enough to be heard from the other side of the city anyway.

"Yell when you and Yang are almost dead! I'll be right there to save everyone like a _true hero! _But wait since I'm a girl shouldn't it be a heroine? But then again a heroine is always associated with useless damsels in distress or about to be paired with a heroic protagonist anyway so I _suppose _I should call myself a protagonist but that just sounds so lame so, _whatever!_ Go Ren! Go and wait to be rescued by your _hero!_" Nora continued yelling shamelessly from behind his back, and judging from the ominous whooshing sound she seemed to be swinging her hammer goodbye. Ren almost retorted that it was _not _helping morale in the slightest, but arguing with her almost never ended in his favor. For a second, the young man almost wished that she was still out cold.

But more than anything and beyond any doubt, Lie Ren was infinitely gladder to hear the incessant nonsense of his ever cheerful partner. _Thank god she's okay, really._ Smiling a secret smile that he would never allow Nora Valkyrie to see for the rest of time, the warrior rushed past the open steel doors and into the depths of darkness.

* * *

"… Well, there's that. Now the hero sleeps her beauty sleep. Now the hero recuperates and waits for the perfect time to show…" Nora Valkyrie stood up and stretched herself like a cat. From another's eyes the orange-haired woman may looked relaxed enough to start rolling around on the floor, but her eyes had never wavered from the single exit of the gathering hall. Soon a white-eyed, ghastly bloody head peeked in from the doorway, and then another, and all the sudden an entire horde of crazed-looking man began bursting through the narrow entrance and charged directly for her with a terrible roar. There were a mix of their own men, strangers, whatever. That Ren somehow missed these people's presence completely just showed exactly how exhausted his mind was from the continuous healing, but to Nora Valkyrie, this was a stroke of pure, wonderful luck. An unknown fire had been burning within her heart ever since she got completely thrashed by Master Yang, and the night before by the hands of a certain _little girl_.

"But of course, a couple of minion waves to warm up is never wrong," the girl grinned viciously and raised her weapon. There was only one way to satiate her bloodlust, and she could already taste the violence in her mouth. In a flash, she countercharged right into the face of a squealing butcher and popped the fatso's head with an upper swing like fresh tomato. Unlike Yang or even Ren, she had absolutely no qualms killing people who were trying to kill her; innocent or guilty, young or elderly. They're all the same. Before the other crazed men could react, she had already jumped right into the midst and swung the world into a tornado of flesh, bone and blood.

"Come at me! Come at me all at once!" the last daughter of the Viking tribe screamed in mad delight, "I'm just getting _started!_"

* * *

"Left ear."

Yang spun immediately around to block the blow, but hand jab easily went through her guard and slammed hard onto the stated spot. With her ears ringing mad and the world swaying too badly to keep a straight balance, the blonde woman made the snap decision of leaping out at a random direction and just barely avoided a crushing stomp to the shoulders. Eating that would've lost her the entire limb. But despite facing a very real life and death situation, Yang just could not summon the resolve or strength to defeat the assailant.

Just how could she bring herself to kill her own Da?

"You don't have time to think, Yang!" The ghastly fast former Huntsman reappeared right in front of the retreating fighter and sent another one of those sure-death kicks right at her head. Its speed was slow enough that she just barely dodged it by a hair's breadth, but the next thing she knew a hot pain exploded from underneath her stomach and she was sailing through a good ten feet in the air before crashing painfully onto a wall. The situation was hopeless. Even if she was to go all out against her Da, there was no way she could win this battle.

Suddenly Yang Ju Long reemerged right in front of her again, his eyes stern and his lips pursed into a furious frown, "Why are you hesitating, Yang Xiao Long!? I have already given you too many chances to kill me and end this despair, and yet you would squander it and act as pathetic as you are! I do not have much time left, Yang; soon I won't be able to resist it at all!"

_"I can't possibly kill you!" _Yang hollered with tears pouring down her cheeks even as she sidestepped out of the way and countered with a lifeless punch of her own, _"How can I possibly kill my own Da? Please!"_

Yang Ju Long or the wicked Demon inside him showed no mercy at all as he grabbed hold of it easily and crushed her right fist. Yang screamed in terrible pain as fiery Semblance exploded outwards and momentarily forced the Huntsman to leap backwards. Her father sneered with contempt, "If you don't kill me, you're never going to get a chance to destroy the gems. For every minute you delay, another innocent person is killed because of the Demon's curse. Soon, the entire city itself will die and be tormented to the end of eternity! Is that what you want? Is that what you were hoping for?"

Yang remembered the explosions. She recalled the screams of the living, the cries of the dead, and the tears of a child who was _murdered_ simply because of the whims of a fucked up Demon. _No more. _She gathered her anger. She gathered her _hatred_. Yang gathered her wits and zigzagged towards her Da, not looking into his eyes and focused her attention entirely of his body movements. As she dodged the first punch, parried away a straight kick and blocked yet another bone crunching fist with her steel gauntlet, Yang finally saw the opening her father left her and dove like lightning right into his lap. This was it. No matter how invincible her Da was, a single punch up to the chin propelled by explosive red Dust and the full power of her Aura would be able to be blow his head clean off the torso, or at least break his neck. Her right fist may be broken, but she was ambidextrous. Her left could do it. Her left would do it. All that's left to do was to throw it. Throw the killing blow that would end this despair once and for all.

_A dreadful pool of blood spilled all over the grass. Far too much. Ashes of black smoking everywhere on the ground. The slides split in half, the seesaw burning, and even their favorite swings were completely crushed into an ugly pile of broken steel._

_And she… she wasn't there. Not anymore, not ever for the rest of infinity._

… But the despair won't end. The dead would never come back, and it would still be a misery ever after for as long as she lived. Yang could not accept that. She could never accept the consequences of living with the knowledge that she had killed her Da.

She would rather die.

The single moment of hesitation was a fatal mistake. In an instant she found herself hovering two feet above the ground, unable to breathe, with a pair of powerful hands strangling her throat and choking the life out of her. With her right hand completely broken, the blonde woman could only try uselessly to peel with her remaining left, and as the iron hold strengthened her own only grew weaker and weaker. Yang felt completely drained of strength and spirit as the last vestiges of her Semblance flames died out, and all that's left for her was death. _So this is it, _Yang's eyes blurred slowly into darkness, her only resisting hand slumping uselessly on her side, _this is the end of the road for me. _She used one last bit of strength to look at her father's face, and was shell-shocked to the bones to see tears flowing down his cheek.

"You would let me kill you, Yang Xiao Long? You would let me murder my own _daughter?"_

_"– RrrrraaaaAAARRRGGHHHHHHH!"_

Abruptly her fires exploded back to life, and with a hateful hiss the half-possessed Ju Long tossed her far away from his reach. The blonde slammed shoulders first to the ground, coughing and breathing as desperately as an asthmatic, but she dared not let slip her Semblance flames for even a second knowing that the Demon would attack the moment she does so. Her body was aching all over from being threw and played around like a rag doll, and unless she does something fast this momentary respite was going to end really, really quickly.

But that was none of her concern. Yang could not believe how close she came to commit a terrible mistake. She had nearly bloodied her father's hand with the worst possible sin just because she was too cowardly to do it herself. She hated even more the Demon who forced her – who forced them _both_–to make such a pathetic choice with all the strength inside her heart. That's it, that's _fucking it _– she's sick of following the mother fucker's script.

"I'm going to save you, Da," Yang rasped out a thin voice that was filled with determination, "No way in fucking _hell_ I'm giving into this Demon, and no fucking way am I killing you too. I _will_ find a way."

Yang Ju Long left eye stared at her sadly, even though his right bulged madly and bled, "You cannot, Yang. If I know of such a way, if you were older and stronger then maybe, but –"

But this time, it was Yang Xiao Long's turn to scream, "Don't you _dare _give up Da! Don't you _dare _ask me a second time to kill you! I haven't given up yet, and I will _never give up_, so don't you _dare _surrender before I do! You hear me?!"

The man turned silent. For a moment he said nothing, until Yang suddenly noticed that his right eye was back to normal again. His father gave Yang a tight smile, and she understood abruptly that her Da was using every last bit of his energy to buy her time. Yang had given her oath, and her Da trusted his very life and soul on her. She had to do it. She had to find a way to slip pass her Da and get to the gems.

And yet the situation was not looking good. Already Yang Ju Long was stuttering into a fight stance, and Yang was forced to raise her own terribly weak limbs in defense when the man charged towards her again and threw strike after strike like an unstoppable God of War. The Demon never allowed her to pull far away enough to shoot safely from long range, and any attempts at point blank Dust shots were easily parried away. She might as well save the bullets. By herself and in her current condition, just defending and weaving between strikes have become as hard as climbing a mountain with limbs of stone. _Is there anything I can exploit? _Yang thought desperately, _something that I can use? How about the statues? If I threw enough of those at him then maybe –_

Suddenly gunshots resounded throughout the cavern, and Ju Long pulled back from his overwhelming rush to howl in pain and surprise. The green clad shadow revealed himself to be Lie Ren as he kept the Demon pinned down with automatic fire, giving Yang the opening to fire a few rounds of her own before joining up with Ren. Words could not even begin to describe her relief as she reloaded her shotgun gauntlets and fired down on Ju Long in unison, "Took you long enough. I thought I was going to die for a moment there."

"Great. What is wrong with Master Yang?" And that was the single word of concern – if it actually _was _concern – she got out of Ren. Some people never change. The situation wasn't exactly primes for jokes though, so she gave a quick summary of the past half an hour or so and motioned towards the central statue,

"Da said that only my Semblance can destroy it. We need to restrain him somehow so I have enough time to do that."

Ren furrowed his eyebrows into a deep frown, "That's nearly impossible. I haven't taken a good look at the crevice, but it had to be at least ten meters wide, and no footing until you hit the shoulders. How are you going to get up there?"

Yang simply grinned and pointed a quick finger backwards, "Those statues back there could do the trick, or we can just do it Nora's way. Anyway, let's focus on keeping Da down first, or nothing will work otherwise. Your role here is critical, Ren."

Ren nodded with a tight expression on his face. He understood what Yang meant by that too well, "I know. You make the opening, and I'll get the strikes in even if it costs my life."

"Don't ever say that, Ren," Yang stared at him seriously, and the young man looked surprised by her unexpected response, "You should value your own life more. We will all get out this alive, I promise."

There was an indecipherable expression on his face just then. For a moment, Lie Ren looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed down the words and answered noncommittally, "Understood. We'll proceed with the plan once both our cartridges are blown."

"Alright then!" Yang did not bother pursuing the issue. Maybe in the past she would have needled the young man just for the heck of it, but she has long since outgrown her childishness. Besides, they have the most important mission in the world to complete right now.

Failure was not an option.

* * *

The situation above ground was bad.

Just five minutes ago, the Yang mansion's outer gates and walls were breached by numerous amounts of assailants with no hope of recovery. This was supposed to be impossible: Not only do they possess the high ground and home field advantage, there were at least fifty men who were tasked to the walls and many more within the compounds of the mansion guarding various important locations. Every one of the men was fully equipped with Dust rifles, and under the late Mistress Lia's guidance most of them had at least underwent rigid training in marksmanship too. While the Yang family grunts may not look like it with their flappy black jackets, black specs and unruly attitude befitting of thugs and criminals, they possessed enough discipline and organization to give even the Kingdom's Military a run for their money. Repelling a bunch of stupid and mad invaders should never have been a problem to them.

However, they were bogged down by three problems that ultimately cost them their first and strongest line of defense. Number one, the invaders' athletic capability. The best example that would describe their dilemma was this: Who in their fucking right mind would expect a baby girl to leap out of her stroller, clear a three meter wall and with her tiny hands strangle a stunned silly guard to death? It was like being in a B-rated horror movie where the zombies could perform perfect quadruple flips in the air (although the landing's always the same: good ol' fisting and kicking and gnashing teeth), or that one muscular bodybuilder who was cartwheeling the hell out of all the concentrated gunfire perfectly. The men might've found the situation hilarious too; if they weren't too busy trying to keep their throats from being torn apart.

Considering that they sometimes had the honor to become the Guardians or even Master Yang's warm up fodder, it wasn't exactly hard to deal with these ridiculous acrobatics. The second problem they faced however, was the traitors. More accurately speaking, they were referring to allies who had suddenly turned as rabidly insane as the mass of invaders and ambushed at least a couple of friendlies before they were finally dealt with. This posed a serious problem and a huge blow to morale, especially since most of the men had known each other long enough to call each other brothers, and would not hesitate in the slightest to risk their lives to save an ally. To be betrayed and shot from the back by your most trusted friend or even family was a pain and terror no one was ready to endure. With the trust built on years of companionship shredded to pieces for all but the toughest and strongest-willed of man, it didn't take long for some people to start losing their nerves and escape. A few people broke down and lost their will to fight completely and allowing the rabid invaders to kill them as easily as plucking a flower. There were even men who had watched too many zombie movies outright committing suicide after discovering that they've sustained injuries from the invaders.

And even then the Yang family warriors would've been able to pull through, if it wasn't for the fact that the four strongest pillars of the clan; the Three Guardians and the Master themselves were completely missing from the action. Obviously, those who were at the front gate had the scare of their lives to see Yang Xiao Long entering in a tornado of wild, golden fire, and all of the captains of the squads were personally taught by Ren to assign their forces at the strategic points of the mansion.

But that was it. Not a single soul – perhaps the servants would know, but they were all sent to the shelters in haste when the terrorism began – had seen Master Yang, and certainly not Nora Valkyrie; the boorish woman was impossible to miss. They never showed up again despite the fact that the assaults were growing more and more intense and their allies dying everywhere. They were trained and disciplined well enough to fight to their deaths. Many of them were also strong enough in the heart to withstand a betrayal of their own, knowing and accepting that the circumstances were bizarre.

But without their leaders, without the very pillars they looked up to who symbolized the entire weight of the Yang clan, even the most loyal and tough-hearted of men were shaken to the core. The newer, more inexperienced recruits were already spreading rumors that they have been abandoned, and while the veterans knew with absolute certainty that the Guardians and Master would never do that, the only alternatives they could think of was even more terrifying – that all four of them were either tied up with something even they found difficult to handle, or worse, they were _killed _in action. To say that they were terrified at the prospect would be a huge understatement, and whatever remaining morale they had before dissipated as quickly as the wind.

And so the Yang family defense line crumbled, and once the fall began it could not be stopped, and in no time at all the hundreds of men were reduced to less than thirty. The small pockets of remaining fighters were stranded on different locations and completely isolated from each other, struggling just to survive the onslaught. Perhaps the only console they have left was that the communications were still working, and they were able to contact each other through radio, but that soon would not matter if the terrible siege continued any much longer.

They would all die.

* * *

Lie Ren and Yang coordinated themselves so they would empty their clips at exactly the same time, reload, before splitting up each to left and right. None of them bothered to check whether Yang Ju Long has fallen under the fiery barrage – he would not be the Master if he was taken down so easily. The whole purpose of the continuous fire was to buy enough time so they could come up with a workable plan, and they had certainly achieved that.

As the mist of smoke and powder cleared, Yang Ju Long looked to be crossing his arms in a defensive stance and was perfectly unhurt. As he allowed his arms to stutter slowly and abnormally down to his side, the man suddenly swung backwards to let loose a most inhuman and guttural roar of triumph. As the Ju Long himself had predicted, the Demon's consciousness was seeping into his body at an unbelievable rate, and despite vigorous resistance it won't be long now before the takeover would finally be completed.

But that won't happen under their watch. Yang Xiao Long zoomed from Ju Long's right like a massive fireball and swung her broken right fist directly at his face. As expected, her incredibly obvious move and burning flames caught the Demon's attention as he raised an elbow to crush directly into her right. That would've been really bad, except that Yang had already anticipated that counter from the beginning and held her fist still at the last possible second, and then firing a point blank round at the same time. The attack caught the Demon by surprise as it reeled backwards from the blow, and Yang wasted no seconds in pulling the same trick a few times more before he finally learned to just parry her punches out of the way before they could reach any part of the torso. It was as they had anticipated: _Bu Si Mian _may have control over her Da's ridiculously tough body, but it does not yet have access to the memories of his techniques, skills and definitely not the Aura. Yang's current level of martial arts was more than enough to suppress the Demon as she drove it slowly but surely towards a small corner.

"Now!" Yang shouted.

Lie Ren appeared from the shadows, his already strict visage a tighter knot of intense concentration as he slipped like a ghost to Master Yang's back and threw forth an empty palm. The Demon noticed the ambush at the final second and attempted to dodge the hit, but it was far too late. The second his palm made contact, Master Yang's left elbow exploded in a flower of red, leaving the arm connected only by the barest thread of flesh. Wasting not even a single moment Ren immediately did the same to the remaining three limbs, and finally, invincible as Master Yang was, the powerful Huntsman crumpled onto his back like a broken doll.

This was Lie Ren's Semblance and ultimate technique – the Qi Strike – a powerful attack that would converge his energy into a single point and penetrate through any physical defense and implode the enemy from within. It could not be blocked unless the enemy employed an Aura defense more powerful than the strike itself, but with Master Yang suppressing his own Aura level to a minimum Lie Ren' technique had cut through it like hot knife against butter. The maneuver was obviously risky because he wasn't good enough yet to employ it without spending significant time to gather his Aura, but that was where Yang's distraction came into play.

"Did we… do it?" Yang went down on her knees and was breathing heavily even as her vision became swarmed by tiny dots. The brawler's role as the flashy bait played no small part in their minor victory, and her right hand throbbed excruciatingly as if there was a hammer pounding on it with maddeningly regular interval. Had she slipped up on any of those feigned jabs the pain would've been outright unbearable.

"I… think so. Can Master Yang… still talk?" Ren himself was panting in exhaustion and holding himself up by the wall. That the plan would go so smoothly was actually not within his expectations, but he thanked the gods all the same for the unbelievably good fortune. After healing Nora's wounds and now four Qi Strikes in a row, his Aura level was literally seeing the pits.

"I don't know, but I think we better don't disturb his concentration. He'll talk to us when he needs to," Yang said while looking at her fallen father with great concern and sadness. Demon possessed or not, they have just destroyed his arms and legs just to make one hundred percent sure that he was completely immobilized. While as long as the limbs were attached Master Yang would have a chance for recovery, it would probably take a very powerful Healer to mend them and a long period of recuperation.

It was with those troubling thoughts lingering around her mind before Yang finally turned around to look at Ren. Their rest must wait; they have a time to race against, "Okay, let's proceed with the next phase. I'll get us a flat statue from the entrance, and you toss me over."

Ren simply stared at her as if she's completely out of her mind, "Yang, I'm not Nora and I'm nearly dry. Boosting you over would be much more practical."

Yang pouted a little and replied, "Oh c'mon! Don't you see how smooth that huge ass statue is? If I don't land just right I'll slip –"

_Thump._

They both felt it, and took an involuntary step away. It should not have been possible. No matter how powerful a Demon was, no matter how fully in control it was in the host body, it should never be able to control a person's spirit. It should never be able to manipulate a person's _Semblance. Don't be a fool, Yang Xiao Long, _Yang laughed to herself nervously even as she felt herself backing away inch by inch along with Ren, _it's just your imagination. There's no way a Grimm could use a person's Aura; that is the law of the world –_

_In one night the entire city was wiped out of all its populace, and the souls of dead men that should've passed on to the world beyond was trapped and forced to exist in the newly created hell forever._

"Oh shit," Yang whispered angrily when the realization finally struck her, "Oh shit shit shit _shit!_"

_Thump._

"I could boost you over right now and stall him," Ren said immediately as he grabbed Yang on the shoulders, his eyes conveying nothing but dead seriousness, "This is the only way."

"No," Yang gritted her teeth, "Didn't you say you're nearly dry? The Demon may be stupid, but you won't last five seconds if it just unleashes everything Da has. I won't let you die."

"Then you had better come up with something better," Ren said mildly, even though his tone and cold sheen of sweat indicated anything but that, "Because the two of us together can't last five seconds either."

The instant the Lie Ren finished his words the supposedly immobilized Huntsman gave them the scare of their life and leaped back to his feet. The duo stared with absolute incredulity as the Master's broken bones and torn flesh began knitting themselves back together with incredible speed; it's as if time itself was rewinding backwards. Black flames _burned _from all over his body with a hint of red, and Yang knew better than anyone just how deadly that Semblance was. At this rate it won't even take two minutes before he healed completely and set them right back at point one _and_ down the infinite negatives. Yang's mind whirled as she began to think faster than she has ever did in her life. Could they stop him? Could they try the same trick? Should she get to the gems first? How much time could Ren buy then? Ten seconds? Five? One?

Could they even _survive_?

As if to deny her the very last dredges of hope, Lie Ren's figure suddenly exploded tremendously in black red fire as the shockwave sent him flying through the air and slamming hard to the ground, burned and unconscious. No one saw how the Demon did it; hell, Yang didn't even _know _her Da had that particular technique and she was her father's daughter. Frankly at this point the blonde woman thought it no longer mattered, but still she held both her arms up to cover up the head in a final act of defiance. In response, a giant pillar of flames of the darkest red split apart the air effortlessly and slammed right into her guard like a speeding truck. Yang screamed as she summoned whatever golden fire she has left in her body to repel this onslaught of pure, murderous fury, and for a couple of seconds the young woman actually managed to survive it.

Then the final line of defense flickered and died, and Yang could do nothing as the heat of death wrapped around the fighter and engulfed her completely.

* * *

Nora Valkyrie felt a sudden twinge of worry inside her heart. Instinctively she turned to look at the secret doorway that seemed to breathe out a scentless stench of darkness, but almost immediately a crazy suited stranger rushed up from her blind side and tried to capitalize on the opening. She pounded the bastard into a sickening splatter of meat and growled menacingly. Something wasn't right. The game of bug squash suddenly wasn't that fun anymore, and her hands were actually shaking fatigue due to the intense blood loss she suffered earlier. That absolutely meant that something was very, very _un-_right, and she knew from experience that it could only mean one thing. Ren was in danger. The Viking girl turned to race for the doorway, only to find her path completely plugged by walls and walls of living meat. The anxiety inside her heart was pounding harder every second, and suddenly she felt an explosive burst of livid rage she never felt before in her entire life.

"Get the _fuck _away from me!" her hands were clutching the handle so tightly that the metal actually bent. She plowed right through the first three men who tried to crush her with their body, but three more quickly took his place and then more. Soon, even her monstrous strength was failing against the increasing weight that's pushing down on her. _They're actually getting stronger, _Nora realized with cold dread as the fog of bloodlust finally dissipated from her head. Unfortunately, that simply made her more conscious of her own limitations as she collapsed down on one knee. Nora looked towards the door that was so close and yet out of reach, and screeched a terrible cry,

_"Ren!"_


	7. Lily Cypress

**Author's Notes: Longest chapter yet. To be honest, I'm undecided whether to split this into two parts or keep it whole. In the end, even though it might be too long and almost detrimental to the reading experience, I've decided to keep the entire segment as one. I believe that it would transmit the emotions better like this.**

**Introducing Lily Cypress, my version of the Transient Princess. Granted I probably could've added more stories on her and Yang (and thus have an excuse to split this better) but at the time I was in a hurry to wrap things up. There are also huge hints towards the strange relationship between Yang, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, which would probably be revealed only on a separate Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie adventure series. That's a dream in the future though - I'll be incredibly grateful if I can even finish the main storyline alone.**

**Hmm. Speaking of which, here's a general timeline of things from start until the end for 'Book 1' (yes I plan to write this epic novel style spanning over several 'Books'), and they are titled: Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladona, Weiss Schnee and finally 'Team RWBY'. That is as far as I've planned for now, and anything beyond that is simply a blur and vague ideas. Hopefully the ridiculous scope would be enough to keep me occupied until Volume 2 is out - I'll have new characters and more settings to use then - even though I'm already inventing the hell out of it lol.**

* * *

The pain never came.

She had seen too many times Da's Semblance flames at work, a vicious and unforgiving power of the soul that scorched even the toughest of substances into mere ashes. This wasn't even the first time she had to brave through the terrifying flames either, when her Da had wanted to train her Aura endurance on some training occasions and quite literally set his poor daughter on fire. At that time, even though Da was holding back a large majority of his power, the slightest brush with just a spark of those dancing flames had been cause of immeasurable agony, and this time she was completely overwhelmed with not the slightest bit of Aura to protect her from harm.

But still there was no pain, and for a moment Yang Xiao Long briefly wondered if she had perished so quickly that she didn't even feel it. When had she closed her own eyes? Gingerly the young woman opened them for just a little, peeking through the tinniest crack of her eyelids to catch a glimpse of anything.

"Are you done cowering yet? We have much work to do."

It was a childish voice. It was also a calm, collected tone that brimmed with authoritative command not without a lace of the springiness of youth. Shades of crimson fell unnaturally towards the ground as if resisting gravity, and before her very eyes thousands of crimson petals soared gracefully in the air with secret delight. There was the familiar blood red metal rifle pointed in steady form towards the front, and finally a pair of firm silver eyes that glowed brilliantly even within the deepest of darkness. Yang whispered softly, her own reeling violet still unable to believe what they're seeing, "I thought you were gone. I thought… I thought you had something to do."

"Indeed, I do," Ruby Rose gave her a thin smile before turning back to glare contemptuously at the enemy, "And one of them was to slay Demons. I felt this one's malice a full mile away from the city, so it took me some time to get back. What happened to Master Ju Long?"

Yang swallowed some saliva down her dry throat, and looked towards her Da. The Demon seemed content to wait and observe as it continued to heal its injuries, so she summarized as quickly as possible the situation from the beginning until now. Understandably enough, Ruby's frown only grew deeper and deeper until finally, she spat out a very un-childlike curse. Yang barely managed to contain her laughter, even though Ruby was likely not going to notice with her attention fully placed on the Demon, "So I can't kill that thing because it's just going to possess someone else. I can't destroy its core either because it's apparently invulnerable to everything else except your Semblance. They never make it easy, do they?"

"No. Unfortunately, no," Yang stood up and patted away the dust from her clothes. These were the least of her problems right now, but she needed the routine to keep her head in place. As for Ren… she knelt beside her companion and touched his neck for a pulse. To her utmost relief there was a faint tingle from underneath her finger, and Yang turned to glare at the two black eyes that seemed to sneer at their struggle, "Anyway, we need to destroy the core. Think you can boost me up there?"

The young Executioner's face turned expressionless and cool, "Sure thing, but why can't you get up there yourself?"

Yang pointed at her own body with a sarcastic look, "Oh, getting exploded by a bomb point blank, broken right fist, Aura running on bare fumes and so on. You know the thing."

"Then how do you presume that you have enough strength to destroy the core, then? I wouldn't be surprised if it had a self-defense mechanism too; do you think you have enough strength to beat it?"

"Uh – well maybe not, but –" Yang felt a chill at her sudden change of demeanor, but what Ruby said later completely caught her off guard, "In that case that plan is pointless. Worst case scenario you would die and I'd be too distracted trying and failing to save you before getting killed myself. No, I am sorry for Master Ju Long, but with that Semblance he is just too powerful for me to hold back. I will kill him now – there isn't any host body stronger than Master Ju Long that the Demon could possess. That will make out jobs far easier."

"Wh –" Before she even realize it, Yang found herself grabbing Ruby by the collar and exploding, "_How could you say that!? _That's my Da, and we're going to save him no matter what!"

Ruby simply stared at her emotionlessly and replied, "For every second we waste we tread closer to destruction, though to be frank I don't give a damn about what happens to anyone else. I'm here just to kill a Demon, and while I owe Master Ju Long a great debt, I'm sure that death would be far preferable to him than being tortured for the rest of eternity."

"Why you _insufferable _– !" Abruptly Yang found herself flying backwards and crashing painfully into the sharp edge of a rock. She gasped breathlessly and struggled to stand, even though it was mostly due to the shock at Ruby's cold indifference. She couldn't believe that this was the same person as the shy and flustered Ruby she knew just this morning – it's as if she's an entirely different individual. Ruby Rose stared coldly at the stunned Yang and declared,

"Let me make clear about something, Yang Xiao Long. My entire life's purpose is to eliminate every single Demon in existence, and I will do _anything_ to make that happen, and that means _not dying here_ because you _think _that you might have the strength to do the job. At its weakened state, it is likely the Demon cannot outright turn this place into an eternal prison – which is why it needed a host body – so killing the host means delaying its infernal plan. Therefore I will kill your Demon possessed father. Then I will kill the next host it chooses to possess. I will kill the entire city of people until it gives up or there's no one left, and don't even think for a second that I won't do it.

In the mean time _you _will recuperate your strength, and once you're good I will find an opening to throw you up there and destroy the core. If you fail, I will dig the damn things out and sink them into the sea so that it will never surface again. That is the most surefire plan I have come up with," Ruby turned away, but not before leaving a terrible threat that left the fighter stunned and numb, "Of course, you're free to do whatever you want, but just don't expect me to clean up your mess, and don't you _dare _interfere with my fight."

Abruptly, the red-plated rifle in Ruby Rose's hands underwent a bizarre transformation. The tail of the weapon ejected with a hiss and snap to form a thin black handle, and the frontal head ejected unfolded and swung outwards to reveal two closely intertwined circular blades of rose red, black-trimmed frame. Even in her daze Yang could make it out to be the first and biggest war scythe she has ever seen, and it easily doubled Ruby's height in length and likely thice as heavy. That wasn't all there was to it either – the once compact center of the gun revealed itself to be the gun barrel of what seemed to be a sniper rifle. This was the true form of Crescent Rose. This was the magnificent murder weapon Ruby has chosen to reveal for the sole purpose of slaying the greatest Grimm. With practiced ease, Ruby Rose swung the weapon around in a warm up twirl before slamming the tip of her blades deep into the ground, just as the Demon has finished healing and set its jet black eyes onto her, contempt and hatred burning within. Ruby sneered equally in return, and readied herself for a thunderous charge.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grabbed tightly onto her shoulders.

_"No."_

* * *

Five years ago, Yang Xiao Long had a friend.

At that time, Ren and Nora had miraculously gotten along with each other, and since then the wild, mischievous girl found it harder and harder to play a prank on either one of them. Not only do they always hang around together and watch each other's backs, the bizarre duo also seemed to have developed a sixth sense for the other partner, and so even if she had managed to separate them – and that happened _very _rarely – the duo would reconvene far too quickly for her to attempt anything mischievous. There was also that singular incident that made her very hesitant to try anything risky, which limited greatly her choices of pranks. Eventually Yang Xiao Long found it less and less fun to get caught and treated to a taste of her own medicine, until finally, she gave up on the duo and decided that she needed a fresh, new victim to play on. Otherwise, how was she going to stave off the tedium?

Yes, Yang Xiao Long was quite the unrepentant devil queen in the past. So it was on one such day of infinite boredom when Yang decided that enough was enough, and that she absolutely needed to make a new friend to do devious things with. Armed with impure desires the cheery girl easily slipped past the guards and went out to the busy streets of Jiu Xu to scout out her prey. She had chosen to wear a tomboyish outfit of a short black pants, simple white T-shirt and yellow leather jacket for the occasion. A cap was handy when she needed to escape for whatever reason just because her golden hair was so obvious, but the mere thought of damaging her precious locks was enough to offset the idea. If you can't outrun them, beating them up was always an option. Even at her young age, her skills and Aura were already strong enough to take down anyone but a Huntsman or Huntress, and there was zero need to worry about the Grimm inside a city.

As she walked carelessly among the crowd with arms behind her head, the young girl scanned the busy flow of people with childlike curiosity. It was a Saturday afternoon, so as expected there was an incredible amount of people going about for a good lunch or cheer or both. Both the common and the wealthy were thick on the cobblestone, with an unending stream of vehicles lining up on both ways of the streets traveling slower than a snail's pace. Yang never quite understood the point of cars – she would rather take one of Da's _kick_ than be bored to death in those metal coffins. Hawkers were yelling, customers bargained furiously, and pedestrians crossed the streets with equal fucks given to both drivers and the road safety laws. She didn't even need to peek into the back alleys to know that some of her clan's men were there. Yep, these were the streets Yang came to know so well, and the fact that it's running busy as usual suited her just fine.

As she was looking around, Yang suddenly spotted something of interest. She was a fragile-looking girl about the same age with dark, smooth hair, and wore a sleeveless, one piece dress of pure white that reached down to the knees and walked on red barefoot sandals. When the mysterious girl cocked her head sideways and just happened to catch her glance, Yang was stunned in place by the most brilliant golden eyes she has ever seen.

"_Sunflowers_," Yang whispered before taking a step towards the girl, and then another. Then, to her utter surprise, the young girl's features turned frightened, swung her head to look left and right, and with unbelievable speed dove right into the thick, endless swarm of people.

… Wait, what the hell? It took Yang a full second before she finally regained her wits, and when she did the blonde girl found herself running just as quickly to catch up. The young girl felt an unknown joy blooming from inside her heart, and with every wind she had in her lungs Yang Xiao Long screamed loud enough for the entire street to hear while bulldozing through the crowd like an unstoppable truck, "You there! Stop! Don't you _dare_ run away from me!"

As the curses and explosions and frantic curses of complete innocents began, somewhere, someone sneezed repeatedly in his private studies and wondered what kind of trouble his daughter has gotten into again.

* * *

"Hah, hah, hah, hah…!"

"Ha…! Ha…!"

The mad game of chase went on for a full hour, and during that entire length of time Yang had smashed through five cars, crashed through tens of glass windows, and generally wrecked enough havoc to warrant a terrifying screech from a certain someone's purse. Though of course Yang gave no two shits about that at all and was focused entirely on this fascinating young girl who has somehow outpaced her for nearly the entire length of the hour. In fact, if it wasn't for Yang's familiarity with her home ground and infinite endurance, she would never have been able to catch up.

And so the two girls were now standing in the nearby garden, wheezing in and out precious oxygen with Yang holding a firm hand onto the girl's own lest she ran away again. Trained as she was running all over the town was surprisingly harsh on the body.

"You're… pretty good, girl! That's… the first time anyone… could outrun me so… long!" Yang wheezed.

"What do you want?" The girl rushed out the words before gasping for breath, "Please don't…! I have no… money! Nothing!"

"Wha?" Yang cocked her head questioningly, "Why the hell would I want your cash?"

"Huh? But then why… are you… chasing…?" the girl looked at her with eyes filled with confusion.

"Eh, that's because I want you to be my to – I mean, friend!" Yang laughed out loud, "You looked like an interesting person, so I wanted to talk to you! Or at least I tried to until you ran away – speaking of which, why _did_ you?"

"That's – that's because you looked like you're going to… _eat_ me or something," the timid girl suddenly broke into tears, "Your eyes are all red and it's so scary!"

_Oh. Oops_. While Da has told the blonde girl repeatedly to keep her Semblance under control in public, Yang was still too young to understand the consequences or the need for restraint. However, she _did _understand that some people were afraid of her the phenomenon of her Semblance and would usually keep them under wraps. Still, when her excitement spiked Yang's eyes would easily color over to a burning red, but at least her hair wasn't burning with fire, right? Right! At any rate, she needed to do something before this kid flooded the place with her tears.

"Who said my eyes were red, huh? They're violet! Light purple, see?" Yang said innocently while emphasizing them with rapid blinking, "Are you sure you aren't seeing things? I'm not scary, and I'm really, _really _hurt that you would say that!"

"But – but I'm sure they were! How…?" The young girl soon forgot crying completely and was staring right into Yang's eyes with piercing curiosity. The blonde girl's breath got caught momentarily in her throat at the sight – the girl sure has the guts to talk when her own pair of golden sunflowers held a charm that seemed to suck in the very soul. Deciding it was time to avert the topic, Yang smacked both hands of the girl's delicate shoulders and elicited a satisfying squeak before saying, "Never mind the boring details! Anyway, what is your name, girl?"

"Uh…" The girl hesitated a little before saying, "Lily. My name's Lily… Cypress."

"Huh. That's a fairly strange name; you come from the outside?" Yang glanced at her questioningly.

"Y – yeah. Outside. Somewhere to the… east," Hmm, she's twirling her hair. Could it be a sign of something? Yang decided to file the information away for next time and continued on the most important topic,

"Well, whatever. So, back to my request: Would you like to be my friend, Lily? I promise you it'll be a lot of fun!" Yang grinned widely.

"Friends?" The girl stared at her with both bafflement and surprise, "But why? I don't even know you!"

"Little princess, that is _exactly _why you make friends, because we don't know each other! Anyway, I needed someone to play pr – _games _with, and I chose you! So, waddaya think?" Yang said easily.

"I… I don't know," the girl said uncertainly. Yang was somewhat surprised that the topic of parents weren't brought out as an excuse – that happened ninety nine percent of the time when she asked any of her previous 'friends' out – but sensing that her victim was about to bite the bait, the blonde girl decided to ignore any potential response and jumped the gun right away. Without waiting for a response, Yang pulled at Lily's right arm and began dragging her towards the playground. She laughed,

"I _knew _you would accept! Thank you, my dear _friend! _Now, let's get to the swing and do some bonding –"

"Wait, wait! I haven't said anything yet!" Lily frantically tried to pull away, but while she was fast Yang was strong as a baby elephant, "I don't even know your _name_!"

"Oh wow, that's right! Silly me, huh? The name's Yang, Yang Xiao Long! And don't you dare forget, or else –" Her iris burned red for just a second, but Lily caught the change and froze like a caught puppy, "You might, ah, _hallucinate _something unpleasant. And now, onwards to the _super rotating swings of death – _I mean, the very, very normal swings!"

"What did you just say? I'm not good with swings; I get dizzy with swings very quickly so can we play something else? Please –_Noooooo!?_"

Her pleading fell on deaf ears. Later, the playground would be plagued by the rumors of haunting, where a demon would be sighted cackling with flames steaming from its body and a poor captive girl screaming with unending terror. On that day, even though she hadn't realized it yet, this was the first turning point in Yang Xiao Long's life. The golden-eyed and cowardly girl would turn out to be a true friend who supported and saved her in the worst of times and gradually changed the young girl for the better. Without her, the girl named Yang Xiao Long may have been defeated by a loneliness and fear she could tell no one about and become irreversibly bitter towards life.

* * *

"Yang… I don't think this is a good idea…"

A week later, Yang took her new friend to the Yang residence. This was generally a frowned upon idea, because only a handful of trusted people – irregardless of rank – were secretly selected to evaluate and allow new recruits into the Yang clan. Anyone who did this without consulting a higher superior; who would in turn consult said people with the power would be punished most severely.

On the other hand, Yang Xiao Long had a knack for ignoring the rules whenever they're convenient, so when she pulled the twelve years old girl by the hand and right to the front gate, she did so with complete disregard of either Lily's pleading or the three guardsmen who immediately came up to them, "Good morning, Miss Yang. May we know who this might be?"

Understandably, Then Yang clan guards were not exactly the kindest-looking of people. The guards at the gate were chosen not only for their experience but also how ugly and threatening they look, though of course this particular requirement was kept a tight secret by Master Ju Long. He was in the end Yang's father after all. Upon seeing the black-suited men the timid girl immediately hid behind Yang's back with a frightened look on her face. Yang pretended not to notice it and replied cheerfully, "Hello guys! She's my new friend Lily so play nice and friendly, okay? I'm taking her in for a tour around the place!"

The younger man of the group said hesitantly, "Miss, I'm afraid we can't allow that. No outsiders are allowed to enter unless given permission from the higher ups."

"Well, I'm my Da's daughter, aren't I? Are you saying that _I _don't have the permission to decide who gets to visit my own house?" she responded an innocent, sun-lit smile, but it was literally impossible not to see the devil's horn peeking out of head. Lily winced in sympathy as the youngster grew flustered while looking pleading at his companions, and thankfully one of the older-looking guards sighed and stepped up to relieve him,

"Miss Yang, you know we don't want to do this – _especially not with you, seriously_ – but rules are rules, and while you're the Master's daughter we are not. He'll punish us very severely for breaking it."

"I don't care. Just die for me?" Yang said cheerfully as everyone literally turned to stone upon hearing the unbelievable words flying out from her mouth. Upon seeing their frozen visages, Yang scratched her head and sighed dramatically, "C'mon, don't look so surprised! It was just a joke. So I can't bring a person into the house, I get it. However! You have to understand that this girl –" Abruptly Lily found herself lifted to the air by the waist, and she could not help but gave a terrified squeak, "– this _thing _here is my _property, _and I'm very sure I can carry my own property into my own house. That ain't breaking the rule now, am I? _So?_"

"I am not _property! _Let me down, Yang!"

"… Yes, Miss. Whatever you say," The trio surrendered without any further resistance; it's not like Yang would ever change her mind once she's set on a goal. As the gates opened inwards, the wild girl tugged at Lily's hand and led her new friend in with a wide grin on her face. As they trekked slowly towards the mansion on the center of the main pathway, Yang said cheerily,

"See? Told'cha everything's gonna be fine!"

"Yang, how could you ask your men to die for you? And what if they really get punished?" For those who knew the girl, they would be surprised by her unexpectedly strong opinion. It was in fact almost a scolding if she wasn't saying it while looking up and down the place curiously like a cute little white rabbit. Yang was delighted to see that her attempts to 'rehabilitate' the timid girl was finally working, but she was careful to hide the emotions and simply shrugged a shoulder in response,

"Eh, it's just a joke! They'll live through it. It's not like my punishment is going to be any better than theirs, and they should be thrilled Da never asked them to stand still and eat one of his punches."

"What do you mean?"

Yang looked at her with unusual seriousness etched on her face, and that got Lily to tense up as well, "My Da's very strong, you know. Once I got a bit too… _naughty _for his liking, and as punishment the bastard punched me ten streets across the sky. No kidding."

"You're joking," Lily shook her head.

"Nope, I'm being very serious. _Dead _serious."

"I don't believe you," Lily began shaking her head even harder, and Yang found herself just unable to resist a round of teasing. Her hold on Lily's wrist tightened, and the girl's eyes widened in realization and fear. One week was enough to teach even the most thickheaded of individuals what's about to happen next.

"Hey Lily~ Guess what my Da does to intruders when they have the ah, _fortune_ to stumble into him?"

Said girl's head was swinging fast enough to rival a fan's medium speed, "I don't wanna hear I don't wanna hear I don't wanna –"

Unfortunately, the cute gesture only caused Yang to feel even more devilish. With one strong arm she forcefully stopped Lily's head in mid-swing (Please don't try this at home, or anywhere for the matter), completely ignored the pleading puppy look in her eyes and whispered, "Da skinned them all. First, he would dump them into boiling water so that the skin would come off by its own. _Pssahh! _And then, one by one, starting from the fingers, he would _peel_ –"

Suddenly, a new voice rang out, "– nothing of that sort. Master Yang would fling them across the streets for sure, but he would never torture an enemy. Stop scaring the poor girl, Xiao Long."

_"Ah?" _She _hated _it when people call her that. Almost immediately Yang spun around to face the new incomer she only knew too well, and as expected Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie was walking down the same path but from the opposite direction instead. Ever since that certain incident with Nora Valkyrie the young boy has been much more inclined to speak out his mind, but while Yang herself was glad to see a positive change in her 'frenemy' she did _not _appreciate it when his sarcastic fangs were pointed against her. On the other hand, Nora was unfortunately still hurt from that terrible incident and was unable to speak, but she waved her hands with that usual silly smile all the same and Yang returned it, albeit a bit stiff and awkward. Contrary to what some people might believe, the blonde girl was definitely capable of feeling guilt, and her part in Nora's near fatal accident was no small matter.

Lily was hiding behind Yang again, but she too poked out a head in curiosity to catch a glimpse of the duo that has irritated the blonde girl so. Yang did not bother with her friend's actions but instead narrowed her eyes against the two young partners, "It's just a little joke. Besides, she's my friend and that's none of your business anyway."

"Speaking from experience, I wouldn't say that I fully appreciate what it means to be your friend or the butt end of your jokes. Bullying, I think, is _definitely _not a friendly act," Lie Ren replied coolly.

"Mind your own fucking business, shithead!" Yang growled right back with barely suppressed anger, "_I'm _not the one who nearly fucking killed a friend!"

The instant the words flew out of Yang's mouth, she knew that she had committed a _huge _mistake. The atmosphere instantly turned cold as winter itself, and the murderous chill in Ren's eyes was terrible enough to freeze hell. The young warrior stepped forward and without warning drew out his brand new dual pistols from the sleeves and seethed, "How _dare _you say that, Yang Xiao Long! Out of all the people, the one fucking _bitch _who had no rights to say that is _you. _I've always thought you to be a fucking pain in the ass, but not even I thought you to be a cruel person. Obviously I was wrong. Activate your weapon."

Yang took a step back with her hands facing outwards and said hesitantly, "Ren, calm down, I didn't mean –"

A streak of green light shot past her cheek, freezing the girl right at her tracks and drawing blood. Lily barely suppressed a terrified scream, and even Nora was grabbing onto Ren's arm with obvious alarm. However, she was too weak to even do that as Ren pulled away roughly with his mind completely overridden by anger and hissed, "I won't say this again. Activate your weapon, because if you don't I'm going to shoot you anyway. A scum like you doesn't deserve any shred of honor."

Yang could not ignore that insult. In a heartbeat her violet – no, _crimson _– eyes turned cold and hard, and without a word she activated her shotgun gauntlets and was ready to dive right into the fray and teach the mother fucker a lesson. At the last second though, Lily leaped right towards the front and held her in place, "What the hell are you doing!? You can't fight!"

"Move away, Lily," Yang said steely without the slightest hint of emotion and eyes completely red with murder. It was as if her heart itself had turned into stone, "If he wants a fight, he's going to get it. He had this coming since a long time ago anyway, and I'm going to settle this once and for all."

"This isn't right!" Lily hissed out rapidly, "I don't know what happened between you two, but fighting is definitely _not _the right answer to this!"

"You don't know _anything_," Yang retorted as she tried to push past the girl, "Fuck_ off_. This is between me and him."

"Too scared to fight, Xiao Long?" Lie Ren taunted with scornful eyes, "So now you're a coward as well? I didn't think you'd be this _pathetic_."

"Just keep on talking, Ren," Yang said coldly as she finally dislodged the struggling girl and shoved her aside. Immediately the young warrior tensed up with both guns trained right at her heart and face. Yang Xiao Long may be a bitch who deserved to die, but even he had to admit that she was incredibly strong. The blonde woman strode forwards without a care with fire blazing from underneath her feet, "I'm not just going to hurt you, I'm going to _kill you_, so you better make your last words –"

_"Would the two of you just shut the fuck UP!?"_

The sudden outburst stunned the two combatants for just a fraction, but it was just enough time for Lily to squeeze right between them again. Before either one of them could say anything, the young girl spun around and walked right up to Lie Ren's face with pure, livid anger that caused even him to take an involuntary step backwards, "Lie Ren, is it? Good morning, dear sir, and you are a massive, stupid, dickhead of a _mother fucking idiot_, you _hear me?_"

Yang snorted aloud at the completely unexpected outburst, and the young boy's eyes turned cold as he began to speak. Before he could do so however, Lily has already cut him off with angry words of her own, "No, _you _shut the hell up. Look around you, you thickheaded numbskull. _Look._ You aren't the only ones in this area, you know, there are plenty of _helpless, innocent people _who might get hurt just because of you couldn't hold in your stupid grudge!"

The young girl swung a hand to the left, and sure enough there were a whole bunch of servants and guards standing at the sides with obvious fear and doubt on their faces. For a moment Lie Ren looked unsure before he steeled himself again and retorted, "They would stay away. No one is foolish enough to get between our fight."

"Oh really? Then you best be ready to kill the girl behind you then," Lily stated in the chilliest voice Yang ever heard from the girl, "She seems ready to stop you even if it means getting shot in the face. Do you want that?"

The blood flushed away completely from the boy's face as he turned around to see exactly what she meant. Nora Valkyrie had drawn out her war hammer despite looking white as a paper with hands shaking like a leaf. Instantly Lie Ren rushed to her side and supported her with his arms just in time before she lost balance and nearly fell due to the weapon's weight. He had all but forgotten about Lily and the fight as the young man whispered various assurances and apologies to the annoyed Nora.

By now Yang Xiao Long has already retracted her gauntlets as Lily turned around and strode wordlessly towards her. The blonde girl smiled as the young girl approached, "Damn, Lily, you sure got him good there! I never thought –"

She had perhaps seen the slap coming before Lily had even confronted Lie Ren. The revelation hadn't make it any less painful or shocking, and she certainly wasn't prepared to see the stream of tears pouring down her friend's cheeks with undisguised sadness and disappointment. The young girl stared directly into the shocked violet eyes, and whispered softly,

"You're right, Yang. I don't know anything. I'm just an outsider, I barely knew you, and I absolutely have no rights to interfere with your family affairs. Still, I thought you knew better, that you're above _killing _as a solution. I thought –"

For a long while the young girl simply stood there, mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the right words to describe the turmoil of emotions. In the end, she opted for a single sentence before running away. It was a nightmare that would keep Yang awake for many sleepless nights and haunt her in her worst dreams for the rest of her life.

_"I thought you're better than this."_

That was another pivotal turning point in Yang's life. While she would eventually make up with Lily, chasing after the girl like a demon with a mouthful of apologies and undying perseverance, and that she even reconciled with Ren after one of the most awkward sit-downs in both their lives, Yang Xiao Long still would never forget this day.

It was a day when Yang Xiao Long truly learned a lesson in humility. It was the day she had known true shame and became a more thoughtful and caring human being.

* * *

"Lily? Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Ah, I'm all right, don't worry."

"Right, and I'm a skunk eating cannibal who couldn't be bothered to take a bath. Tell me: What's eating you?"

"… That's one h-hell of a metaphor, Yang."

The fiery girl smirked, but did not hide away the clear concern and worry etched upon her brave features. It has been a year or more since they first became friends with each other, and the days they spent together were both tumultuous and filled with excitement. There were days they spent laughing together like a hyena (well, okay, only Yang while the latter sweated buckets of terror) at an explosive prank, there were days where they spent talking the whole day while doing nothing at all, there were even days where they've cried together in pain and sadness, like the day when Mrs Lia passed away peacefully in her bed. After all this time, Yang could not even imagine a day spent without her best friend – her _sister_ – by her side, living and braving through tomorrow with a smile on their faces.

Today was a bad day though. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen the young girl having mood swings; there were days where she would be so depressed that even Yang's funniest jokes could not cheer her up. This was apparently one of those days; if not the worst Yang has seen her so far. It did not help that Lily's eyes had a faraway, distant look in them that made her already fragile appearance feel even more transient – it's almost as if she's going to disappear any second. _Foolish thinking, _Yang forcefully shook the dark thoughts away. At least she has an inkling as to what made her friend so unhappy – the golden-eyed girl always returned back to her 'home' early during these saddening days. Yang felt her grip tightened a little just at the thought of it.

They now sat at swings of a quiet old playground, the place where they first introduced each other as friends and enjoying the caressing wind of a cloudy evening. Lily pushed herself back lightly with those dainty feet while Yang went forwards, unconsciously trying to match the girl's pace. Lily combed her hair and looked to the gloomy sky as a tired sigh escaped her lips – it wasn't a comforting sign, but it did signal that the girl was finally ready to speak.

"Yang… do you believe in miracles?"

"I do," the blonde girl replied with a quickness and certainty that earned her friend's eyebrow. Yang shrugged a shoulder and continued, "You know what I do. Can't be a daredevil if you don't pray now and then for something to get you through especially during the harder times."

Lily gave her a half-scornful look, "_Riiight_; I guess those could count as miracles, small as they are. The fact that they happened so often is a miracle by itself. I almost _wished _I was part of your schemes willingly."

"You don't need to word them so sarcastically, geez, that was almost like Ren," Yang winced at the unmistakable sting, "It was fun, and you know it! We both had fun!"

Lily smirked at the hasty response, and Yang had to swallow a groan at how the tables have turned. Her friend has grown so much as a person that one could scarcely see the frightened little girl she was before. In fact, it was Lily's wits that had more than once gotten them out of a sticky bind that would've surely earned a good street flying punch or two from her Da.

"I'll save you the embarrassment and just nod to that. Yes, we had fun. Lots and lots of fun," she sighed at looked melancholically to the sky again, "To be honest, Yang? I have never once thought that I would get to enjoy this. To enjoy life as a normal girl. You're kind enough not to ask anything, but I'm sure that you've noticed that I'm not exactly…_normal_."

"Nonsense," Yang replied, "I can't say for everyone, but I sure don't see anything wrong with you. _Very _cowardly, sure, and a bit too jumpy when we first met. But you're about as normal as anyone else can be."

Lily smiled, but did not respond to her joking banter. The young girl continued with a hand placed at her heart, "Thank you, Yang, but you know that isn't what I meant. I…" she looked unsure with her lips bitten in a frown, "I want to tell you this. You've always been honest to me – you always been _true _and _real_ – and it's only right that I do the same. And yet the knowledge itself is _extremely _dangerous, so it would actually be in my best interest _not _to tell you anything. To protect you. But I can't do that, I…" the fist at her heart tightened into pale white, "I'm leaving today, Yang. I'm afraid that I'm never going to come back."

Yang felt as if a thick blanket had wrapped itself over her throat and muffling her voice. The blonde girl choked out a single, disbelieving word, _"What?"_

Lily ignored her and pushed on, "I'll start from the beginning. To begin with, I am not human – no longer one anyway. Five years ago, I died in a car accident. On that day, my family and I were headed back to our home and drove through a mountain path. For some reason, the car brakes failed and it fell right over the cliffs, killing all four of us – my papa, my mama and my sis – instantly. Terrible as it was, that should've been the end of my story. I should never have been standing here, talking and being friends with you for the past year."

"Wait, wait," Yang's mind reeled at the absolutely ridiculous pool of information even as she tried to absorb them, "What the hell are you talking about? You _can't _be dead, and don't even fucking joke about being a ghost –"

"I am being very serious," Lily cut her off firmly with a tone of gravity that Yang has never seen before from the girl, "Yang, I was _dead_. I _know _it as surely as that car wreck still lying down there at the canyon. I should never have been here. I should never even be _alive _in the first place, if not for something absolutely bizarre that happened almost immediately after. I remembered the whispers, Yang. I remembered sinking into the darkness and listening to the call of the dead. I remember having many regrets of the things I never get to accomplish in my life, but still I was content to join the Remnant and be scattered across the land. But then the whispers came.

They were quiet at first, almost unnoticeable until they were right onto me. Suddenly I found myself dragged against my will away from salvation, and no matter how I struggled I just could not break free. And then I was back to the world of living again, breathing and heaving out the contents of my stomach like I had just swallowed the most disgusting shit in the entire world, but _back_."

Lily glanced at Yang in case she has any witty comment to say about her unusual choice of language, but the blonde girl kept her silence. The entire story felt fucking surreal, her friend who was supposed to be dead coming back to life and all, but she listened. It was the only thing she could do right now.

"When I regained enough of my senses, I saw a woman. She had black hair curling down her breast, with strange lines tattooed on her body that burned with an eerie, yellow light. Fire burned within her eyes, and they glow a piercing yellow even in the blackest dark like the eyes of a terrifying predator. She is the one who revived me from death, Yang, and she is the most terrifying _monster _on all of Remnant. It is too dangerous for me to even _say_ her name, because it is an iron rule to keep it a secret and _she _knows whenever you utter it. To this day I do not understand what she truly is, but one thing is certain: She is _not human_. Never fight against her if you value your life. Run away as fast and faraway as you can if you ever had the misfortune to see her. Never listen to her words, for they are lies dripping with venom that chew away at the soul, and finally, do not _ever_ trust her."

Lily glared at Yang then with such intensity that the blonde girl could only nod and mutter a passable yes. At the moment Yang was actually more distracted by Lily's eloquent, mature and almost _adult _way of speech. Even though Yang has always thought herself to be the older one out of them both, the _elder sister_, but truly – who was the mature, and who was the really immature? Had Lily simply been playing the fool and tolerated her all this long?

Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Lily's eyes abruptly widened in understanding as the girl gently held her hands and spoke softly, "Oh no, _no._ Our time together was genuine, Yang. I was never a sociable person even before I died, and an evil witch and her cronies aren't exactly the best people to converse with. I am a coward, I'm ridiculously timid, and I'm everything you believe me to be because I never pretended to be _anything but myself _when I'm with you. Whatever you may think of me, please believe just this."

"I'm not doubting you, Lily. I know at least that your screams are real," Yang forced out a laugh in attempt to abate her friend's worries, "It's just that – this is a little hard to take in, you know? There are so many things I don't know about you, and I just feel so… _ashamed_, I never even tried to –"

Abruptly Yang found herself in a tight embrace and Lily shaking like a leaf, saying, "Yang, you and I both know that you didn't pry into my past because you care about me. This is not _your _fault, it was _never _your fault. If it wasn't for you, I might have turned into a monster. I would have forgotten what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be _alive_. You are my friend - my _true friend_, and that is the one thing that will never, ever change. Never."

"Me too, Lily. Me too," For some reason, Yang's eyes had begun to water, and deep down in her heart she knew that their time was up. She refused to acknowledge it.

A bolt of thunder split the skies with a deafening roar, and Lily jerked away and stood up from the sudden noise. She hissed out with a ferocious look of anger Yang has never seen before, "_Dammit_. That's _way _too fast."

"What's going on?" Yang leaped out of the swing herself and warily glanced at her surroundings. She couldn't see a single soul around them – granted it was evening accompanied by what seemed to be an looming thunder storm – but something in the atmosphere just felt _wrong_. It was a sense of foreboding that no one half sane would be able to ignore.

"Yang, we don't have much time left, so I'll tell you this quickly. I'm sorry, but I've stolen the Final Sun from your mansion's secret room. I'd imagine that Master Yang would've found out and be incredibly pissed right now."

"What? Wait just a sec – _you what?_"

The Final Sun was an ancient relic as old as the very First Grimm War, and the artifact was said to be one of the few Dust constructs that played a critical role in pushing mankind towards victory against the terrifying Grimm. Nobody knew how the artifact worked now, even though everyone agreed that it must be protected from the enemy's hands at all costs, and Master Ju Long was apparently the chosen candidate to guard the relic. Not even Yang herself has ever seen the Final Sun as it was stored safely inside a twenty inch wide Dust-protected metal box, and hidden in a secret room that could only be accessed through Master Yang's study itself. The blonde girl thought that it would take a whole army of the most elite Huntsmen and Huntresses to pry the artifact from Da's hands, much less a single person. If she hadn't experienced firsthand one of Lily's strange set of skills five months ago, she might've thought that the girl was lying out of her teeth.

Out of nowhere, Lily pulled out a short pair of transparent, crystal-like blades and crossed them firmly towards the ground. Half a meter long and glowing gently with white light, Yang would've felt a hint of admiration if she wasn't feeling so tensed by this invisible pressure that just kept on piling and squeezing at their general direction. While the presence was definitely not as strong as her Da, there was an eerie quality to it that made every hair on her body stand like a porcupine's quill.

"I have no choice. My master – the woman I just told you about, had planned to take it away by force right after Mistress Lia passed away. While Master Yang might be able to hold her off by himself, she had two other cohorts that are almost as powerful as her. I managed to convince her to do things more discreetly and let me, the spy who know the Yang residence inside out, steal it. I've been trying to delay the inevitable since, but she would wait no longer."

Lily glanced down on the ground and said softly, "I'm sorry, Yang. Our meeting wasn't exactly a coincidence. Certainly I didn't expect things to turn out the way they would, but I… I was there that day to attract your attention. To gain your trust. To lie to you and –"

"Stuff it, Lily," Yang waved a careless hand and while concentrating on surveying their surroundings, "Just tell me one simple thing: Did you betray me?"

"No! But I –"

"Then that matter is done, and you are not spying out of your own free will. Did you steal the relic so that no one could find it?"

Lily nodded grimly, "Well, yes. If I had left it in the Yang residence they would certainly invade your home, and I could never allow that. So I stole it last night and hid it in a safe place, a place where the shadows could not cast –"

"Ah… I see now. So _that's _why you cut off all communication today."

Abruptly the duo spun around with frantic speed, and instantly Yang understood that the intense pressure that was crushing them originated from this woman. She was a thin, well-tanned woman with red eyes and an annoying smirk hanging off her face. Her hair is a light pea green cut with a straight fringe and bangs with two long locks flowing on each side. The woman also wore a rather revealing white and dark green outfit that revealed her midriff and the top part of her breast, but at the moment neither girls were paying any attention to them at all. Yang in particular, was feeling nauseous enough to puke out her lunch, breakfast and last night's dinner if there's any left in her stomach. For the tenth time of the day, Yang gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly for not bringing her battle gauntlets. Still she put on a brave face and stood protectively in front of Lily,

"And who the hell are you?"

The woman turned to look at Yang with that infuriating smile of hers, and the moment they matched eyes all the sudden the blonde girl felt as if the world was tumbling from underneath her feet. Before the strange sensation could continue to spiral out of control though, Yang felt a firm hand pulling her back from the shoulders that instantly broke the mad vertigo. Lily stepped forwards and raised a blade towards the strange woman,

"Don't act like you didn't already know, Cleo. You're worse than _her _when it comes to scheming and bad taste."

Cleo touched a palm to the shoulder in an exaggerated and said mockingly, "My, my, am I hurt by that remark. Do you prefer me to be as stiff and thickheaded as that block of wood Marcus then? One would think that _he's _the real corpse in the team and not you, _hah._"

_"Why you fucking bitch!" _Yang leaped forwards in anger with fists already in mid-swing, but Lily pulled her right back with surprising strength before whispering, "Yang, get out of here now."

_"What? _No _fucking_ way –"

"Listen, Yang!" Lily tightened her grip on her arms, and Yang abruptly realized just how cold and sweaty the girl was. She was _terrified_, and still her friend tried to put on a brave face and said forcefully, "Look, I have equal strength with Cleo, and while she has tons of experience over me I can run very, _very _well. You know that better than anyone. The thing is, if you're here – if Cleo uses you as a _hostage_ – then I _cannot _escape. I will fight to my _death _to save you, and I _will _fail, so please!"

"I'm afraid you won't have the chance to escape, my rude little girls. _Both _of you are going to have an interesting conversation with you-know-who, and I'm sure it's going to be _very _interesting," the silky voice came from right beside Yang's left ear, and as the girl jerked away in horror Lily immediately stabbed a crystal blade directly at Cleo's head only to see it pass through harmlessly. _A mirage_, Yang thought even as she scrambled to regain her balance.

"Yang, go! I'll hold her off here! Faster! Run to your home; your Da would've had men scouring all over the place for me! She would not dare attack the Yang residence alone!"

"Oh, I love how you're belittling my abilities," There was a crack of thunder, and the ground between Yang and Lily exploded in a sizzling flash of light and fire. Yang felt her face scrapped hard against asphalt, but she couldn't care less about her own injuries and quickly looked towards Lily's direction. Yang felt her heartbeat stop to see that Lily's entire right hand had been burned as black as sin, with her weapon scattered uselessly on ground. Yang ran towards her friend without heed of Lily's desperate warnings. She had to help. She could _fight, _dammit, she may not have her gauntlets but she still has her Semblance–

Abruptly, there was a brilliant flash of light, and both Yang and Cleo were taken aback by the unexpected discharge, and the young girl said coldly, "You forget yourself, Cleo. I may be young and inexperienced, but I am the Cypress. Just _try _and take me lightly – you won't live to even regret it."

A brief moment of hesitation flashed through the enemy's features, and Lily seized the moment to look directly into Yang's eyes. Suddenly the blonde girl found her entire body frozen in place, and struggle as she might, the girl could not move even a millimeter from her position. She was trapped within a pillar of white light that had descended from the very skies, and Yang realized with a start that it was not an unfamiliar sensation; _I remember this! She used it when we were at the warehouse; when we were almost caught by the gangsters. The special trick that could only be used once a day –_

"No," Yang whispered in horrific realization, "No, no, _no!_ Don't do this, I'll run away now so don't use that spell, _Lily –_"

Her best friend smiled once and turned away. Yang could only scream futilely as the world eclipsed into utter darkness, and an instant later Yang found herself within the safe compounds of her home just outside her own room, and several servants scared out of their wits by her sudden appearance. She paid them no heed and ran faster than she ever had before back out of the gates and towards the playground, bearing the falling rain and shouting her best friend's name with every breath in her lungs.

But no one was present. Gone like a wisp of smoke. A dreadful pool of blood spilled all over the grass. Far too much. Ashes of black smoking everywhere on the ground. The slides split in half, the seesaw burning, and even their favorite swings were completely crushed into an ugly pile of broken steel.

And she… she wasn't there. Not anymore, not ever for the rest of infinity.

* * *

_"No."_

The moment she felt the hand on her shoulder, Ruby Rose gave an inward sigh and turned around. The girl understood that her ultimatum wasn't exactly the most humane thing in the world, but sometimes sacrifices were necessary to eliminate the biggest threat towards mankind and Remnant itself. If the blonde woman won't comply, then she would have no choice but to make her.

So one could imagine Ruby's utter surprise when she felt a powerful fist slamming hard and firm right at her jaw, concussing her brain, and sent the girl sprawling unceremoniously on all fours towards the ground. Never in her entire life had she been punched so squarely in the face – or humiliated, for the matter – by anyone except her master, and even the Demon itself paused and looked confused by the sudden change of events. Ruby looked upwards dizzily with shock still riding through her veins and her anger absolutely skyrocketing, but that last for only a second. The moment she locked eyes with Yang Xiao Long, all notions of socking one right back with her scythe and then more fled as if they were never there.

Yang Xiao Long was mad. _Very _mad. Whenever the fighter drew out her Semblance her eyes would burn a color between orange and red, but this time there was a slight difference. This time, the blonde woman's eyes burned a crimson so deep and terrible and with utterly unrestrained – no, _focused _anger – that it could only strike pure terror deep into the hearts of both ally and enemies. Whereas her body had flared a gigantic pillar of flames at the atrocity that had happened an hour ago, the Semblance form right now was curiously absent. Yet Ruby Rose understood keenly through her battle sense that the woman's fire was _anything _but depleted, and they're simply contained very, very tightly within the confines of her body by Yang's willpower. It's as if the energy would explode at the slightest provocation, and for a moment Ruby even believed that the resulting detonation could blow a hole right through the roof. _How is this possible? _Ruby wondered with disbelief, _she was down to the last drop of her Aura, I'm sure of it! Even her capacity is completely different from just a minute ago! Where is she drawing that strength?_

_At what cost?_

As Yang drew closer towards her, the young girl she couldn't help but shiver a little even with her vast battle experience against the unknown. Worse, her vertigo hasn't recovered nearly enough to take any proper preventive action if she decided to sock her yet another one, so Ruby could only brace herself for the worst as she gritted her teeth and stared up fearlessly towards the blonde.

"Do you want to know why I hit you, Ruby?"

"…Because you cannot stand listening to pragmatism?" Ruby said sarcastically.

"It's because you're being a fucking _asshole _and you know it."

Whatever retorts she had thought up stopped dead at her throat. With fluid ease Yang Xiao Long hauled the girl at the collar and shoved their faces close enough to feel each other's breath,

"Let _me_ tell you something, Ruby. I have lost someone I hold very dear in the past, and I believe you understand _exactly_ what that means. Do we get each other? Good, because I am _sick _of losing my loved ones, I am _tired _of being helpless, and I'll be fucking _damned _if I have to give up on Da before doing everything in my power to save him. I don't care who I have to fight, I don't care even if I have to go against the Creator himself, I won't lose anymore, _you hear me? _I won't _ever lose anyone I love again!_"

"The world is no fairy tale, Yang," Ruby whispered softly, her own mind fled towards the fleeting shadows of her mentor, "You can't protect everything you hold dear. No one can."

"The world is no hell either," The blonde girl let loose her collar, and the former Executioner slumped down to the ground and landed weakly on her butt. The dizziness was finally clearing, but her head still felt like a god damn reverse merry-go-round, "And I _will_ protect everything possible within my power. And this time, _I can and I will_. As for _you _–"

All the sudden Yang whizzed a ferocious kick directly at the general direction of Ruby's head, and the young girl instinctively swerved right only to see the blow miss incredibly wide before hearing a crack and a howl ringing from directly behind her, "_Get a hint already, you stupid Demon!_"

It was then Ruby finally remembered that they still have a monster as audience, and she turned around just in time to see it reeling away in pain and anger from the failed surprise attack. Ruby cursed herself inwardly for getting massively distracted and tried pulling herself onto her feet with Crescent Rose. Again to her surprise, Yang's firm grip caught hold of her wrist as she felt herself pulled gingerly to an upright position. The young girl stared at her warily and asked, "I suppose I should say my thanks, unless you're planning to throw me another one?"

"Just so as long we're clear on the subject, I won't. You are my big sis after all," Yang grinned a little before letting go of her hand.

Ruby ignored the woman, and swung her scythe around a couple of times to finally feel reasonably comfortable with her balance, "Good, because my plan stays as it is before. Let's not waste any more time."

"Hey," Instantly Yang's mood took a turn for the dark, but just before she could finish her growling Ruby raised an outward palm to stop the outburst and said,

"I am not finished. Now that you've recovered your Aura, I can fully concentrate on my fight with the Demon instead of worrying about your safety. You will still have to fend for yourself once you get up there, and I cannot guarantee one hundred percent that I can block all the projectile attack it might send at your direction. Improvise and implement."

"But you won't kill my Da?" Yang took a step closer, then another, "I'm not trying to be funny here, but if you won't promise me his life, I would turn this battle into a three way, even at the risk of prolonging this fight any further than it already was."

Ruby glared at her coldly for a second, then two, then finally the young girl nodded with a sigh and said, "Yes, I won't kill Master Yang; that wasn't my wish to begin with. But you won't complain if I take drastic measure in case of self-defense."

Yang crossed her hands together and laid out the conditions imperiously, "No lethal attacks or aiming for vital parts. We have no idea how far we can push Da's Semblance of self-regeneration."

"Right. Might as well leave a hand down his throat too so he won't starve," Ruby muttered ill-naturedly. Before Yang could supply any one of her 'witty' comments, she swung the blade of her scythe within an inch of the noisy woman's neck and instantly shutting her up. Good, she definitely looked like she could use a reminder on who's the _real_ boss around here.

"Grab on to Crescent Rose," Ruby commanded.

"Huh?"

"You wanted a boost up, didn't you? This is the plan," Ruby set her eyes steadily on the circling Demon, and judging from the sudden spike of power it was preparing to unleash a new Semblance attack, "So grab on to Crescent Rose _now _and don't make me repeat. And keep your head away from the muzzle unless you want me to blow out your brain matter."

Yang squeaked as the sharp blade edged half an inch closer in eagerness. She quickly obliged and grabbed firmly onto the flat side of the scythe, "O-okay."

"Good."

With a single breath, Ruby heaved with little difficulty her weapon and its passenger a feet above the air and squeezed the trigger. In an instant, Ruby Rose began spinning in sync with her scythe within a tight circle, and when Yang finally guessed her true intentions the young girl had fired more shots to magnify the motion. The Demon was unable to interfere with the action because all seven shots she fired were armed with live bullets and had the muzzle aimed directly at its general direction. Inaccurate as it was, Ruby did manage to force it into a temporal defensive position, and when she has finally reached the peak of their momentum she swung out one last time and aimed directly for the statue's left eye. The young girl shouted just as the Demon barreled right into her defenses with a furious snarl, "Go!"

* * *

"Aww. And here I thought I could play the hero. Wait, maybe I still can. Lose, Ruby – No wait that would be bad – _almost _lose, Ruby! You can do it!"

"Nora, I sincerely doubt that is a good thing, and Ruby Rose is an exceptional warrior. Anyway, can you lend me a hand? I can't really stand right now."

"Ew, spoilsport. So? Where are we going?"

"Up. I'd imagine that our men could use the help."

"Do they? I've already smashed about, let's see, a hundred thousand million idiots at the hall just now; crazy bastards think they can stop the invincible Viking queen! Hah!"

"… Nora."

"You should have seen me! They tried to force me down to the ground, but I pulled them off one by one and smash open their heads! And a one, and a two, and a –"

"Nora, you're on cleaning duty for the rest of the month. Alone."

"… Boo."


	8. Burn

**Author's Notes: You would probably have some direct questions after reading through this chapter with use of the 'What', 'How', and 'Why' words. The answer to that is sorry, I'm not telling! XD There's a reason why I'm keeping it in wraps for now, and so let's leave it at that.**

**This is the second final chapter of this series. I thank you all for following this story this far, and while it has been a rather grueling editing session (That fever. That follow up cough. THAT FUCKING COCKROACH) I had truly enjoyed the process , and I hoped you all have a great time going through 'Fire and Gold' too!**

**Now then. One last chapter, one last day.**

* * *

Twenty meters.

Yang let go at the last possible second, soaring straight and true like an arrow towards the black gem right before her Demon-possessed father crashed into Ruby Rose. Her last glimpse of the duo was a messy tangle of limbs with the young girl struggling to disengage from the rampaging beast, and while Yang was very concerned for her safety she had not forgotten how powerful the former Executioner was. She should be fine.

Ten meters.

At the moment, Yang has something she needed to place her full priority on. More specifically, she was flying directly towards a giant of stone and gem at neck breaking speed with absolutely no way but the most undesirable one to stop. Perhaps she should've just taken the conventional choice and climbed her way up like that super cool female adventurer she played in a computer game, but there seriously was no time left, and despite the unusual burst of Aura coursing through her veins like liquid fire mentally Yang was feeling tired enough to sleep for a whole god damn week. This has to end _now._ With a grit of her teeth, Yang retracted her good left arm into position and kept her body straight. Her fist was a rippling coat of concentrated golden fire which intense heat alone was enough to split apart the very air, and hopefully it would do the same to the target that looked far more likely to break _her _fist instead. No, stop, this wasn't the time to feel weak. _Two hits_, Yang thought to herself, _one for the left and one for the right. It's going to be slightly difficult trying to jump over to the other side after the first one, but I can do it._

Five meters.

_I will do it_.

One.

"HAAAAH!" With fear and with doubt, Yang Xiao Long nonetheless mustered the greatest courage in her heart and slammed her burning left fist directly at the flattest surface she could find, all the while keeping the arm completely straight so that the force was equally transmitted, and that she won't smash her own face into the rock. Despite being an outdoors person, Yang had watched no small amount of cartoon and superhero anime as a kid, you see. She has always been fascinated by how the heroes could harness seemingly impossible amounts of power through love, courage and hope to defeat the ultimate villain. Of course, if Yang was to be honest her intentions were far from anything so noble or strong, but surely, surely her immense resolve and maximum power was strong enough to crush this seemingly super hard core like it's made out of tofu. Her fists are absolutely _invincible!_

But reality disagreed. As soon as her punch connected, Yang literally felt every single one of her finger bones breaking apart, and if it wasn't for the perfect angle of approach her arm would've already been torn clean off the elbow. Unfortunately, that might've been the far desirable and painless result as exactly a millisecond later, every bone in her left arm cracked under the sheer force of impact as well. Even then the energy was not completely dissipated as her poor face, and then her body still slammed into the surface of the giant gem as hard as one would do to flatten a pancake. She was lucky to keep her teeth intact. The impossible pain shot up her brain like a thousand burning needles, and for a few seconds Yang completely lost consciousness before she realized too late that she had lost whatever little grip she had on the slippery surface, and falling. The brawler wanted to screech out a million curses of fourteen different languages she didn't know she still remembered then, but all that came out of her mouth was a pitiful squeak as gravity took firm hold of her body, and Yang Xiao Long closed her eyes in anticipation for what must be the most humiliating death any warrior could ever experience in their lives.

But she didn't fall. All the sudden Yang came to a halt as a sickening snap blasted her right back into sweet oblivion and forth, and the young woman realized through a haze of stupid pain that her left arm _did _punch through the black gem, and had in fact gone so deep that it was buried right up to the shoulders. It was also the only thing keeping her from falling god-knows-how-deep into the gaping maw below, and Yang thought she would've been thankful if her damn left arm wasn't hurting like hell's mother fucking piss lava with a pinch of the hottest chili,

"Oh, _fuck me_ and those stupid fucking_ fuck cartoons!_" Yang whispered with no small amount of despair. Forget trying to somehow destroy this core, forget even _thinking _about getting the other one, how was she even going to pull her bloody arm _out _without crying like a baby?

* * *

"… I can't believe this," Ruby muttered as she sneaked a few glances at the suspended blonde idiot who was getting more and more frantic and cursing like a genie as her pitiful struggles got her exactly nowhere. To be entirely honest, Ruby was very impressed with Yang's iron will. Any men or women who could to destroy their entire arm without hesitation for the ultimate objective deserved her respect. On the other hand, that was absolutely the stupidest thing Ruby Rose has ever seen in her life and very damn well the future too, god forbid, as the young girl's heart nearly stopped when she saw the blonde trying to _punch through _a god damn _stone_ with her _bare fist _while flying at _subsonic speed._ It was a complete bloody miracle that her arm didn't just snap like twigs and plunge her at hundreds of feet down into the black depths! Just what level of _idiocy _does it take for _anyone _to try that?

Now Ruby was in a dilemma. Obviously she could quickly shout out some kindly advices to that poor woman and end this hunt as soon as possible. That would've been great, except that this Demon must have guessed her intent and was using every ounce of its energy and concentration to keep her far enough from Yang that anything she shouted would be garbled horribly by environmental resonance. Of course she had the choice to employ her Semblance and easily get past its staunch defenses, but there was something she couldn't quite name that nagging behind her mind and caused her to hesitate greatly against that method. It was the only reason she hasn't gone all out – _couldn't _go all out – and hurry to assist Yang. To have her strongest card sealed without even understanding why, especially against such a powerful opponent was infuriating to say the least.

_No time for complains. Its manipulation of Master Yang's Semblance is clumsy at best – I'll disable all of his limbs within the next few moves. _With a single step Ruby cleared the twenty feet distance between herself and the Demon, and as she snuck into his blind spot like lightning the former Executioner fired off a bullet to propel her scythe in a thunderous swing against his legs. The attack failed as the Demon saw through her movements and easily elbowed the weapon to the ground, but that was just the beginning step of her deadly dance. Ruby Rose allowed the broken momentum of the blade to sing shrilly through her arms, to allow the steel vibrate against air and earth as she sought with every fiber of her body the broken thread that yearned to be rejoin. She found it.

In an instant the girl lifted Crescent Rose just a fraction left and upwards from the ground, pulled the bolt trigger, and allowed the recoil to zoom her directly behind Master Yang with demonic speed and the scythe snaking like the reaper towards his vulnerable arm. It did not matter if the enemy has incredible reflexes; it did not matter it has skin as tough as iron. As she ran rings around the Demon, speeding faster and faster with each squeeze of the trigger, striking with blows that only grew harsher and stronger from each and every direction, it was only inevitable that Ruby Rose would crack through its so-called impenetrable defenses. First they merely appeared as crooked lines upon the old man's skin. Then the blood started to spray and flesh kissing air in bits and chunks until finally, the Demon could no longer withstand the fury of the onslaught and bellowed in an outward explosion of destructive shockwaves. That ultimatum finally cut through the incessant flow of her steel, but even as Ruby Rose floated above the air light as a weightless feather she felt the remnants of the flow lingering as tingles all over her fingers, begging her to sow the seeds of rebirth and drew forth another bloody song of death.

But no. Her objective was achieved, and Yang Ju Long once again found himself paralyzed and forced to recuperate as all four limbs missing entire chunks of flesh and tiny bits of bones. There was truly nothing it could do to stop Ruby now as she landed safely back onto the ground and bounded towards the still struggling Yang with her back facing the Demon. The opening was just pretend of course; a ploy and risk of her own choosing so she could lure out more differentiated attacks from the Demon and learn to counter them later. Better to be hit in the back when prepared than the other way around. To save time, Ruby fired a couple more bolt shots parallel to the ground and zoomed in the blink of an eye to the edge of the crevice. With ease she sank the tip of her scythe deep into the ground as anchor, and spun circles in mid-air before landing gently on top of the long frame of Crescent Rose. Finally, she looked upwards to see Yang straining her neck to gawk at her acrobatics. Oh, no.

"Yang Xiao Long," Ruby started solemnly, "Please tell me that you did something while I was buying you time."

The obvious embarrassment on the blonde's face clued Ruby in that she was not; not in the _slightest_, "Ah, ahahahaha! I can't seem to free myself you know, so, I watched you to, er, get some tips?"

Wordlessly, Ruby pressed down her weight onto the hilt of Crescent Rose to aim its muzzle upwards and directly at Yang. The brawler flew into a panic and apologized profusely, "I'm sorry! But I just don't know what to do! I tried to break it, I _really _tried, I even tried my god damn _fucking_ broken right –"

"Yang," Ruby began my pointing a thumb at her own head, then slowly moved her hands about in a series of very caring, very elaborate, and very sympathizing gestures, "Brain. Use. Semblance. _Burn. _Understand? _Repeat?"_

It was with no small amount of satisfaction and pleasure at revenge when she saw the blonde woman literally wilt on top of the statue as Yang whined the last bits of her resistance, "Oh come on, cut me some slack! I was hurting like _fucking hell _– RUBY!"

The young girl sensed it too. In an instant she turned around still on top of Crescent Rose when she saw the Demon bounding on _all fours_ directly towards her with swiftness far beyond her own expectations. _What the hell? How did it heal so quickly? _At the nick of time, Ruby threw an immediate kick at the bolt trigger and propelled herself awkwardly to the left; narrowly dodging the charge that would've knocked her clean off the platform. As the girl hastily improvised on the fly and triple bolted on her weapon like it's a witch's rocket broom, Ruby finally managed to catch hold of her balance and landed gingerly back to the ground. She lifted her head to see how much distance she has managed to buy and –

"GET DOWN!"

It was too late. Somehow, someway, despite the completely randomized pattern of her escape, the monster has managed to land _directly before her eyes _and swiped a deadly palm directly towards her face. There was absolutely no way for her to avoid it, not through conventional means, and despite the millions of warning bells shrieking on top of her head, Ruby Rose summoned her Semblance in a final act of desperation to escape. However, her stomach suddenly ached with unbelievable pain and to the young girl's utmost shock, her Semblance _did not work_. The former Executioner's eyes could only widen in horror as the claws grabbed firmly onto her head in an inexorable grip, the Demon's mouth splitting open into a terrible smile full of promises of terrible vengeance and death, the monster lifted her high into the air and in a single downward motion, smashed the back of her head directly against the floor. And again. And again. And again. All the while, Ruby Rose struggled desperately to pull away, growing weaker and weaker as she swung her gigantic scythe awkwardly only to see it bounce off the Demon's Semblance-empowered skin without so much a scratch. Then her fingers slackened, and she lost grip even of her proudest weapon.

In the end, the girl became completely still. _Crack. _There was no breathing. _Crack. _An ugly blotch of crimson black etched like an inerasable mark onto the ground even as they scattered slowly into small bright, red petals. _Crack._

The Demon lifted her one last time into the air, and watched her figure crumble to the ground like a broken rag doll. There was no heartbeat. No pulse. Her silver eyes glazed an emptiness that could only mean one thing.

_Death_.

* * *

_No._

Yang closed her eyes. Her breathing felt constricted; her heart thumped far too fast and hard to be normal. The overwhelming dizziness that threatened to engulf her entire consciousness had nothing to do with her body condition. She had failed again. _Again. _Just like the last time, she was utterly powerless to save the person she cherished and loved. No, she was entirely at fault for leading Ruby to her death – if she hadn't been so fucking _stupid_ to need advice on how to destroy some stupid _fucking _stone, the girl would have been able to focus completely on the fight. If she hadn't needed to rely on a _fifteen years old girl _to win her own war, Ruby Rose would never have died at the hands of her most hated enemy. She caused this. She _killed _her.

_"Uu… ssk!" _Yang stifled the cry in her mouth and focused solely on the task laid before her. She did not have the right to. All she could do now was to focus completely and utterly at completing her task, to destroy these two bloody gems and vanquish the hated Demon that had taken so much away from her. And so she summoned her fires from the depths of her soul. She pulled out every last dredge of it and more until her entire body was soon seething in extreme heat and golden fire. But it wasn't enough. Even as she poured the flames down her left arm from inside as furiously as the sun, she could only feel the tiniest bit of change from the blasted rock. Yang Xiao Long instinctively understood that this level of Semblance energy – this _tiny fucking bit of fire _– wasn't even close to being enough. She needed more. She needed far more power than she had ever wielded in her entire life combined. She needed –

_CRACK!_

_"GAAAAAGGHHHHH!?"_ An excruciating scream escaped Yang's lips, and without even needing to look the blonde woman instinctively knew that her left shoulder bones were crushed by an unbelievable force. She stared hatefully at the Demon who was standing right at the edge of the platform and looking up towards her with a monstrous leer. She did not understand why he didn't just finish her off right away; it could've just aimed for her head while she wasn't looking, and she knew Da could easily clear this tiny distance of ten meters with a single Aura-empowered jump. Perhaps it was sadistic, perhaps it was wary of her Semblance powers, but whatever the reason, Yang hated the Demon for it with every last shred of emotion within her heart. By now her left arm literally felt like a hot lump of liquid iron that could dissolve any second into nothingness, and she couldn't even count the times she had blacked out and returned due to sheer agony.

But her hatred kept Yang awake. Her hatred kept her _functioning_. Gritting her teeth, Yang flared up her Semblance to create a layer of fiery protection over her back, and was just in time to feel another Aura bomb slamming into her shoulder again like a mother fucking cannon ball. She no longer had the willpower to keep herself from screaming, and the cries resounded throughout the dark cavern like a banshee's wail. But even as she screamed Yang continued to draw forth and pour more and more fire into her left arm, to sear the black core of malice and burn them all away to nothingness from within. If this was truly the Demon's 'Heart', then there was no way it wouldn't be affected by it!

And it worked. All the sudden the Demon howled piercingly like never before, and the sheer volume of the voice that seemed capable to crack open even the tons of stone above their heads nearly caused her to stop. Her fire continued to blaze, however. The young woman kept on channeling from within that mysterious well of reserve of endless heat, and she scorched the black gem not just with her left arm, but also her entire body. It wasn't long before the damn thing actually _melted _little by little, and Yang screamed in chorus and with _pleasure _and she continued on her murderous work. _Keep howling, _she thought brutally as she pressed a raging right palm onto the stone's surface and watched it _sink_, _watch as I wring your very dead life and obliterate it from existence! _

Before Yang knew it she was somehow standing inside the melted hole of pure blackness, and with a grin filled with madness she raised both her broken arms and slammed them bodily into the now crooked surface. Every time she did it pure white pain blinded her from consciousness, and each time she came back to exact the full price of her vengeance. _Die! _Yang Xiao Long snarled as she ripped out the core piece by piece and evaporating it from existence, _fucking DIE and SUFFER in HELL for all ETERNITY! _Suddenly the bright Aura of gold seemed to darken as if tainted, and even though the flames were burning more intense than ever, and slowly but surely it was turning _black_.

Yang noticed not a thing. Her mind was set for the destruction of the core and its destruction alone, as even the burning red color of her eyes slowly muddied into dirty blood she noticed not a thing. Not one thing else mattered in the world but _this._ The black embraced her; the stones that seemed so close to utter destruction danced _alive _with countless tendrils of darkness as each and every one of them clung onto her flames for dear life and then _dissolving into the fire itself _as if it belonged all along. Yang noticed not a thing. The blonde woman laughed madly as she strode into the darkness, and the darkness walked _inside her_, _"I will destroy all that stands before me!" _Yang Xiao Long screamed and laughed and screamed and _laughed_, _"I will kill you! I will kill EVERYTHING! All of you, die, die, diE, Die, DIe, DIE, DIe, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIEE –"_

_"Yang… Don't lose."_

Abruptly, Yang Xiao Long stopped. The confused fighter blinked once – her ravaged mind still a swirling haze of madness and heat, but somehow, she felt like she could think. Somehow, she thought she had heard an impossible voice.

"Good god, Yang! I know it's my fault, but I am definitely _not _pulling you out of that muck!"

A couple of gunshots rang within her ears, and they were swiftly accompanied by painful howls of the inhuman. This time the choking haze in her mind finally cleared out completely, and Yang Xiao Long awoke to find herself waist deep inside a melting pool of murky black. The tendrils were still trying to pull her in when the young woman yelped in horror, and her bright golden flames exploded to life once more, clean and taint-free as she waved about angrily and evaporated everything within proximity into the void. This time the first stone was truly destroyed, and without giving pause to ponder how she was standing _inside _the now empty eye socket of the statue, Yang quickly stepped outside to see what she hoped beyond everything to be true. Her tears would not stop flowing when she saw the cloak of blood crimson streaking across thin air and a pair of silver eyes winking to tell that everything was okay.

Ruby Rose was alive and well, dancing as gracefully as ever across the deadly battlefield.

* * *

As the Demon howled again and again in furious confusion and pain at her relentless assault, the young girl was gratified to see Yang getting straight to work after the initial eye contact, and began burning through the real stones to reach at the second core. At this point, the once fearsome and domineering giant statue of _Bu Si Mian _had one huge gaping hole for the left eye and the center of its nose being drilled through by a torrent of super fire, and despite that the back of her head was hurting like a bitch, Ruby Rose could not help but laugh at the situation. While _Bu Si Mian _obviously did not enjoy it one bit and attempted a blind launch towards Yang, Ruby Rose easily read its simple movements and swatted it back down to the floor like a bug. The heavy blow finally drew the Demon's attention back towards her, as Ruby suddenly began to speak,

"You really got me well back there. I see now; you must have had Ren hit me yesterday with that special attack to disrupt my Semblance, didn't you? It very damn near worked too, you fucking trickster. I especially did not think you could read my Flow – or rather, accessed Master Ju Long's knowledge and used it against me. I completely forgot that he and my master were friends in the past! Honestly, if you weren't such a complete _idiot_ I would've been dead a hundred times by now."

The Demon charged towards her again on all fours just as quick as it was before, but this time instead of running away, Ruby slammed the tip of her scythe into the ground and fired five Dust bullets of the highest caliber in a row. Each and every one struck with perfect precision exactly at the center of the its forehead, and the combined force knocked the Demon off balance and completely broke its charge. Ruby sneered in contempt at the foolish monster; she would not fall for the same trick twice!

"This made me curious though. Of all the Demons I have met, every one of them has at least some level of cunningness and a frustratingly good instinct for self-preservation. They would not have fooled around like you did with Yang or Ren, they would have went all out against anyone who could threaten their lives, and they just would not make as many stupid mistakes as you did. I found it really hard to believe, even in your weakened state, that you are the ancient Demon that actually terrorized someone as powerful as Master Yang, or setup this whole bombing terrorism bullshit, or even the one who setup this clever little trick! Like hell, _you didn't even confirm that I was really dead. _I wonder, is this a trade-off to your unique ability to manipulate people's spirit and Aura? Maybe your intelligence goes on and off like light bulbs? Or could it be something else?"

The Demon drew backwards as if sucking in a huge breath, then leaned forwards to spray out a huge column of destructive black flames. Even as Yang shouted out a warning, Ruby Rose was already gone from its targeted spot and twirling like a fairy directly above its head. The foolish monster seemed to have forgotten that one of her best trait was _speed, _and try as it might it was ultimately incapable of recovering fast enough from its stance to deal with the ghost-like Executioner. With a single squeeze of the trigger, Ruby flashed downwards and crushed onto the Demon's shoulders like a speeding truck. When the dust settled, the Demon found itself somehow chest deep into the ground, with Ruby pressing its neck firmly against her scythe and one Aura-empowered foot stomped right behind the head to enforce their current position. The Demon may have access to Master Ju Long's huge wealth of Aura, but it was a complete newbie at actually employing them effectively in all kinds of situations. Ruby doubted that even Master Ju Long himself would expect his tough body to backfire this way, and especially not this stupid Demon who could only gurgle uselessly against her blades. Finally, this was the end of the road. In the end she broke her promise with Yang, but then again she never did promise her the last line, now, did she?

But Ruby Rose wasn't done just yet. The young girl leaned in closer until her mouth was breathing directly into its ears, and she whispered,

"I don't know who you are, what you are, how the fuck you found a way to control a Demon's Mind or if you're even there listening to me. It makes no difference. What I want you to know however, is that if I found out that you actually _exist_, that there actually are utter _scums _who manipulate Demons to torment people's lives or god forbid, _created them_ – I will kill you. I will destroy you. I will rip your very soul into pieces so that you will never have a chance to return to this world ever again. I swear on my master's name – I swear by the name of _Rose_. You, will,_ die._"

Ruby Rose finally lifted herself up and looked towards Yang. She thought she heard laughter, but did not care.

Let them come. _I will kill them all_.

* * *

"… It was you, wasn't it?" Yang Xiao Long murmured amidst the gold and black, fire and stone, light and darkness. She waited for a moment, but there was no answer. It did not matter.

"I am still incredibly weak, honestly. This power isn't really mine just yet, and it scares the crap out of me to think how it keeps growing endlessly without seemingly any cost. But I know that cannot be true. Nothing comes without a price, and perhaps I am burning away at my very lifespan, just like mum. But it doesn't matter. I've made up my mind."

She held herself upright and fell into a stance. Right arms drawn in, the left held shakily just below the eyes. Then, with a single breath, she heaved a perfect straight punch directly at the air before her, and the entire right side of the _Bu Si Mian's _statue – along with the remaining core – was blasted into smithereens amidst the endless roar of wondrous gold. It was over. The nightmares, the suffering, everything – it was finally over.

For now.

"I want you to know that, if you're still out there – no, you _must be_ – I'm coming for you. Unfortunately, no one ever runs away from Yang Xiao Long, my dear friend. I have a huge list of hellish punishments waiting at the back of my mind. You better be ready."

Yang looked down from where she stood, and saw a smiling Ruby Rose just waiting for her to jump at the edge of the platform. On her shoulders was her fallen Da, and while the old man looked to be in a very precarious state, Yang was sure that he would be fine. He wasn't called the Wild Dragon of Vytal _and _once upon a time a hero for nothing. The blonde woman gave her brightest and cockiest smile of the day and jumped high into the small sky, flying.

_I will find you, Lily._

_This time, I will save you._


	9. Epilogue - Twin Wings

**Author's Notes: So this is the end of the road for Fire & Gold. I find it amazing that I could feel almost the same sense of relief and pride for just editing a work completed weeks ago and posting them up here, but regardless, this IS the mark of my journey as a writer, so I guess it's all right.**

**As mentioned before I'll be working on Ruby's Arc, and it should be shorter (yeah right hahahaha even I don't believe myself) than Fire & Gold as the beginning and more introductory story of the entire series. The hardest thing to write, as usual, would be the turmoil of emotions that I hope against hope to present properly. I was unfortunately far inferior in this regard as compared to by friend Ext when it comes to writing emotions; that woman could always make them ****_run _****with the simplest and easiest of sentences.**

**Still, lamenting won't change things, and the only way to improve is to write. Once again, I thank you all for reading Fire & Gold, and I appreciate all the support you guys have given me! See you guys in about a month or so then! Ciao~**

* * *

The next two weeks went by in a frenzy of restoration and rubble digging.

As expected, the city of Jiu Xu has suffered incredible damage and losses in just about every aspect imaginable. Almost all the bombs that had exploded that day were targeted at tall skyscrapers and setup in such a way so that the buildings would topple onto one another like dominos, and at least five thousands civilians were found dead and at with twice that number reported to be missing in action. While it was an impossible task to save every men and women trapped among all these wreckages within such a small window of time, the rescue progress at least has completely exceeded expectation. The constant flow of support such as manpower, capital, food and so on from every corner of Vytal and even the other kingdoms notwithstanding, the infamous elite combat school Beacon Academy too has sent ten Teams of students to aid in the rescue effort, and that equaled a total count of forty Huntsmen and Huntresses. These Aura empowered warriors helped out tremendously as many tasks that were first deemed impossible were accomplished rapidly with their unique Semblance abilities, and hence progress in that regard skyrocketed in earnest.

For the areas that were already cleared out, various reconstruction projects has begun immediately with the utmost haste. The appalling bombings have destroyed quite a number of areas and crippled countless infrastructures, and so entire zones in the metropolis have to be rebuilt from scratch and generally cost an obscene amount of funds and resources to sustain. Ironically, Jiu Xu was never the best planned metropolis since it was basically transformed from the ancient layout forty years ago, and thus the massive destruction has unwittingly opened up opportunities to plan and reform the city into a new and more efficient face. Cunning investors have already begun their move and poured huge amount of capital into Jiu Xu, and combined with the disaster relief donation they're getting from kind hearted people all over the world, the gathered funds might actually _exceed_ their needs. Though of course being an underworld-centric city, no one's complaining about _that_.

Finally, there was the Yang clan. The truth of course were shrouded in mystery, and while there were people who suspected them to be the true culprit behind the terrorism, no one could deny that they had suffered the most out of every group or individual within the city. Initially, there were a total of four hundred and fifty two official members scattered all over the metropolis, with a concentrated majority of a hundred and twenty men stationed within the fortified compounds of the Yang family residence. And out of these one hundred and twenty brave soldiers, only ten men of them were left standing today and barely alive at the end of the tragic disaster. Even then, the men reported that they would not have survived if it wasn't for the miraculous help they received from an unbelievable source: a police inspector named Falcon who had somehow learned or their dire predicament and led them to the safety of a concealed passage at the inner wall southwest to the grand mansion. Later, as the temporary representative of her clan, Yang Xiao Long would personally walk up to the state police department and salute with the highest honor towards the wheel bound young man amidst the mass of shell-shocked personnel. But of course, she also reported that the concealed passage was now completely filled with concrete, and that he has exactly three days to pull out all of his informers – especially the one who had told him about the secret passage – before they all get a personal 'visit' from her and suffer some very unfortunate accidents. Falcon had simply responded to Yang's nasty grin with a proud middle finger of his own. Whatever the future might held for the duo, the rivalry between them was definitely not done by a long shot.

As for Master Ju Long, the central pillar and absolute authority of the Yang clan had suffered extremely severe physical injuries and was expected to be out of commission for at least a whole year. Even then, the real problem didn't lie with his battered and broken body, but rather the Demon's crude and forceful manipulation of his soul that caused him to lose practically all touch and control over his own Semblance. No one knew exactly how long it would take before the old man fully regained his powers, and it would not an exaggeration to say that Vytal has lost one of the most powerful Huntsmen in the world. Thankfully, the old warrior's psych hasn't taken too much of a hit, and he was too experienced in life to feel much sadness or disappointment over such things. The loss of his men and his family had hit the old man far worse.

Currently with Master Yang unable to assume command of the clan, the Three Guardians have all stepped up to help manage and rebuild the household. Lie Ren was a master of administration and management, and during the Master's absence he had singled-handedly managed the household's finance and other meticulous matters while keeping both vultures and allies dancing right above his palms. Without him Yang would not have been able to negotiate half the successful trades and support they desperately needed, not to mention handle the sea of endless paperwork that threatened each day to swallow her whole amidst a mountain of ink and paper.

Nora Valkyrie – to everyone's utter surprise – was actually _charismatic_ in her own dastardly way. She apparently had a _real _fan club which when told in the past, was completely dismissed as nonsense talk even by her close friend Lie Ren himself. A week earlier, when she had stepped out and sent out a summoning to all of her 'minions' within the city, the Yang clan suddenly found themselves handling a group of _five hundred volunteers _willing to join the Yang clan and follow to the end of Remnant their one true Viking Queen, Nora Valkyrie. Needless to say, her partner had literally choked on his coffee and questioned in his mind exactly how sane these volunteers were in the mind. They desperately needed manpower however, and after a few vigorous days of testing the Yang clan official admitted two hundred or so people into their household and put them to work immediately, thus relieving a huge burden and worry from the trio's shoulders.

Yang Xiao Long played the charismatic daughter of the Wild Dragon and spearheaded through all the difficult negotiations and meetings to ensure the clan's survival with just as sharp an intuition and boldness as her Da, with the added advantage of her womanly assets to help secure a deal. She was also trusted with the ultimate power to make all the major decisions for the clan, and Yang had assumed the role with such capability and ingenuity no one had expected from the usually careless young woman. Without exception, anyone who tried too hard for the wrong things or thought she was an idiot were taught a rather painful lesson in humility, and not only she quickly restored the full support of the clan's allies, she also gained a high amount of respect and praise normally reserved only Master Yang from both enemies and allies alike. Within the short two weeks it was even rumored that the replacement was permanent, and that Yang Xiao Long was going to succeed her father's place as Master of the clan with aid of the two trusted Guardians of Yang, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

They could not be any more off the mark, however. Neither one of them had the slightest taste for leadership or management, nor did anyone believe they could stay that way after the too close brush with death and destruction.

* * *

"You guys are going to Beacon Academy? That elite combat school?" Yang tried to keep from showing too much surprise, "And in _two months' _time? Who's going to manage the clan when you're gone?"

Ren nodded apologetically at her apparent dilemma, "I've discussed this with Master Yang. He believes that he will be well enough to handle some of the minor matters again at that time, and apparently a close acquaintance of his named Qrow – another person from his old group, the Rose of Summer – would come over later this week to learn the ropes and help out. Master Yang seemed incredibly reluctant to accept the offer though."

"Haha! Of course he would be! Da hates showing weakness to anyone, friend or not. I guess everything's fine then! I can't wait to see the two of you in uniforms though; it would definitely be… worthwhile," Yang chuckled as she took a small sip from her coke while ignoring the daggers Ren was shooting with his eyes. The two Guardians were currently lounging about inside a nearby café during their small break, and the people bustling about the streets were just about as plenty as ever. If she pretended that the sealed off wreckage just at the corner of her eyes didn't exist, it could be that the disaster had never happened at all.

"Nora agrees to your plan? I mean, I know she follows wherever you go, but…" Yang said.

"She was in fact quite eager to go. I would like to think that even she felt the need to become stronger, but I guess conquering the world is a fine ambition as well," Lie Ren sighed and sipped at his green tea, before pausing for a thought, "Speaking of which, how is Ruby doing? She should have returned from her exploration by now."

A day after their war against the Demon, Ruby Rose has mysteriously disappeared with a note on the table of her room stating that she was going to venture down and investigate the black crevice where the statue had originated from. Ruby had believed that there was a hidden truth that not even the Rose of Summer and her master had uncovered, and she hoped to discover something during the exploration that might shed some light on the matter. Yang thought she was crazy to even think of venturing down that endless oblivion, but there was an undeniable ring of logic to it. If something like this was going to happen again, she wanted Jiu Xu to be at the very least ready for it.

Upon hearing the mention of her new friend, Yang started up excitedly and said, "Ah, about that! She came back this morning and talked to Da about it. Apparently there's a whole underground _city _beneath this one, and while Da and his old gang knew about it, at the time they were too occupied to do a thorough check. She didn't find anything else except ruins and more ruins though, and that was about all of the results of her exploration."

The blonde woman paused before sinking into a semi-serious expression, "I definitely think that there's definitely something else down there though; something very well hidden from casual view. When _Bu Si Mian _has first arrived to Remnant, he was described as a four feet tall with the face of a child. The Demon Da and his gang took down was that sixty meters tall giant bust – like geez, how did they even fight that fucking thing? Was everyone in Da's gang _monsters?_ Good god – Obviously something happened in between that time, where _Bu Si Mian _somehow changed from its human form into that huge ass statue. Ruby deduced that it was a simple transfer of consciousness… and that someone had initiated the conversion by force."

Yang sank into deep silence again, and Lie Ren looked equally as troubled. It took her a good ten seconds before she realized the effect of her words and quickly added, "Ah damn, you're wondering whether you should go to Beacon, aren't you? Don't worry, nothing should happen for now – besides, we have this Qrow guy coming to our city, right? If he's really part of Rose of Summer then it should be fine. Just imagine it, Ren – _another _super elite Huntsman that is as good as my Da. I almost feel sorry for the Demons themselves, haha!"

"… I guess you're right. The way I am now, I cannot be of any help to Master Yang anyway," Lie Ren sighed and half-glared at his own reflection on the tea. Normally Yang would've teased him on the subject, but even she understood his feelings all too well. Instead the blonde woman simply lifted her coke in a gesture of understanding, and with a small smile the duo sipped their drink in mutual silence.

"So. When are you leaving?"

Yang very nearly spat out her mouthful of coke. After a rather arduous and clumsy attempt to swallow the liquid, the brawler glared at the nonchalant gunner, "Don't just go and say something like that while I'm… like why do you even want to know?"

"Because you already know about mine and Nora's?" Oh, she _really _regretted not spraying coke all over his smug little face, "Because it means that our work load would double in size? Besides, anyone with half a brain would know that you won't stay still. You're going with Ruby, aren't you?"

Yang threw up her hands into the air in dramatic fashion and said with a hint of disbelief, "If you already know then why do you even ask? And am I really _that _obvious?"

"We grew up together, Yang. Besides, what I guess does not translate to what you do," Ren picked up his spoon and began stirring his green tea with uncharacteristic hesitation, "Still, are you sure you want to do this? Master Yang understands your Semblance better, and he – perhaps even our new guest, Master Qrow – can help with your training. You won't fall behind."

The hidden meaning of his words need not be said. What Ren had said was in fact exactly the dilemma she has been struggling with for the past two weeks. Ever since Ruby's arrival and the near death encounter with an entity she thought to be a myth, Yang Xiao Long has been feeling incredibly restless and impatient. Back then, at the end of the darkest day of her life, she thought she had resolved to search for her lost friend Lily and save her from the hands of the mysterious group of warriors. Then there was the matter with the Demons too; she just couldn't ignore them now that she knew about their abominable existence. Yang had a feeling that if she travelled together with Ruby Rose, she would eventually run into those people again, and with luck and perhaps a little bit of force, the blonde woman had no doubt that she would definitely meet with Lily once more.

However, when she saw her Da struggling between the brink of life and death; that her supposedly invincible father was so weak that he could barely lift up a spoon left her both shattered and extremely hesitant. She wanted to stay behind and take care of him, and yet this desire was in direct opposition with her wish to find Lily. Also, if she simply wanted to become stronger – she _did _want to grow stronger – she could've just stayed and be tutored by some of the most prestigious Huntsmen to ever live in Remnant. She would in fact face far less risks and perhaps still be as strong as compared to travelling with Ruby Rose, where every stop may mean a fatal encounter with one of the most dangerous enemies of mankind.

In the end though, she had to make a decision. Ruby Rose would not stay forever, and she wouldn't even be surprised if the young girl was leaving this very moment. She had a goal she needed to see through, and after two weeks of delay it was in Ruby's best interest to hurry on her journey. There was no longer any time left for her to ponder and brood – she was no longer a child after all.

Yes… she was no longer a child.

* * *

Abruptly, Yang stood up from her seat and placed some Lien on the table. Lie Ren stared with a little confusion as the young woman turned her back towards him and walked straight for the exit. Was she angry? Perhaps he should not have asked her so directly.

Right before she opened the door though, she turned her head sideways to stare back with a twinkling violet eye and cocky as hell smile,

"Do I look like a coward to you?"

* * *

Yang hiked up the small hill with little difficulty, golden hair gleaming like an angel's halo underneath the bright, fine-looking sun. Standing right on top of it was a figure of black and red whose crimson cloak fluttering free as the wind. As she approached her, the young girl turned around with a mixed look between mild annoyance and a gentle smile,

"Finally made up your mind?"

"Yeah. Sorry to make you wait," Yang walked until she was right beside her, and looked downwards to admire the beautiful city of Jiu Xu. While it was partially destroyed by the hands of malice, and the scars of that war were all too visible from the view above, it was regardless still her beloved home that she was about to leave for perhaps a very, very long time. She was going to miss it. She was going to miss it so much that she might even cry in her sleep. But she will come back; and when she does, she's going to bring along a resident who has been missing her home for a very long time too.

"It's time we go," said Ruby Rose as she collected herself and trekked on without waiting for Yang. The latter quickly followed behind her footsteps and was soon walking right alongside her.

"Hell yeah, big sis! Epic adventure of all time and Remnant, here we come!"

"… Are you _still _not done calling me that?"

"Aw, but you're the boss, sis! Besides, don't you think it fits ya really well and is kinda cute?"

The duo warriors of bright colors, one red and one yellow bantered all the way until they reached some thick foliage and finally vanished from sight, leaving behind their trail only a petal of rosy red, and a spark of golden fire.


End file.
